The Upper Hand
by BillAtWork
Summary: From the very beginning Sarah always had the upper hand in their relationship. She determined how far it could go. And she sometimes acted incredibly unfairly. She would get jealous, send him mixed signals, and then push him away when he tried to act on those signals. What if Chuck were to gain the upper hand?
1. Compromised

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_I'm not sure why this popped into my head. In the show, for the first couple of seasons anyway, Sarah always had the upper hand in the relationship. She determined how far it could go. And she sometimes acted incredibly unfairly. She would get jealous, send him mixed signals, and then push him away when he tried to act on those signals. She punished Chuck for her own fears and insecurities. And we know why, right? It was classic television WT/WT. Well, Bill isn't bound by television WT/WT rules, lol. _

_What would happen if Chuck gained the upper hand?_

_This story is set in the middle of S1. Chuck's not a spy. He doesn't want to be a spy. But there is something that he does want._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**Compromised**

x-x-x-x-x

Agent Walker sat in front of the monitor watching intently. Surveillance of a mark was a common part of any Agent's job. She had done this a million times. The truth was she never looked forward to this type of assignment. It was boring and tedious. She was far more into action than watching. She'd normally gladly trade a gunfight for this huge yawn any day.

But not this day.

She watched as the mark paused his activity for a moment and rolled down the window of the car. That was a good thing. The audio that Agent Walker had been straining to hear was now crystal clear.

_Wow. Its… its been a while since I've done that._

_Me too. I think I tweaked my neck._

_Well, it… it wouldn't be an official Chuck Bartowski date if the woman didn't leave injured in some way._

Sarah watched sadly as they resumed their heavy necking. She had to admit, it was hot. Chuck was clearly very good at this… maybe even better in person than all of those times in her imagination. It was something she found herself imagining about more and more often lately. It was getting to be an issue. The only problem was that in her all too frequent fantasies she was the girl… and giving as good as she got.

When Sarah heard Lou invite him inside, her heart sank. She would lose her surveillance feed once they were inside of the Deli. The sad truth was that she probably didn't need surveillance. It was pretty obvious what was going to happen in there. Lou was clearly going to use her professional deli skills to teach him how to play 'hide the salami.' But it was also sort of like a train wreck. Sarah couldn't tear her eyes away from the monitor. She found herself strangely torn. She definitely didn't want to watch her seduce him. But she also didn't want to walk away and be forced to allow her vivid imagination to assume the worst.

It was frustrating. And in Sarah Walker's mind frustration pretty much always quickly turned to rage. She knew herself well enough to figure that out. But who was there to be angry at? Chuck? He'd made it clear that he wanted more. She was the one who had pushed him away.

The worst part was that there simply wasn't a path forward. Chuck wanted a real girlfriend. And even if she was to admit to herself how much she wanted it too… it just couldn't happen. Beckman would make sure of that. Casey was watching their every move, just itching to report that she was compromised. That would mean an immediate, non-negotiable reassignment.

Even Sarah recognized that the panic that was setting in at the thought of being reassigned was far more than the protectiveness of a handler for her asset. She couldn't be separated from him. She just couldn't. That particular ship had already sailed. And the realization of what that really meant made the panic even worse.

Sarah watched helplessly as Lou took him by the hand and led him into the building. And suddenly the resolve overwhelmed her. She really didn't know what. She certainly didn't know how. But she most definitely knew one thing.

Something had to change.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. For some reason he always felt more than a little intimidated being in Sarah's hotel room.

It was quite the surprise that she asked him here anyway. Things had been pretty tense for the last couple of weeks, what with the Lou thing, the kiss in front of the bomb, finding out that Sarah and Bryce were once an item, and then her accusing him of fake flashing to get her out of getting intimate with that Lon Kirk dude.

But they had made up, right? Just a few minutes ago they were dancing at the Buy More Christmas party. She even rather shyly asked him to stop dating Lou and go back to their cover. She looked relaxed. Then again Chuck would be the first to admit… Sarah Walker was a hard person to read. Talk about ridiculous understatement. She clearly still had to yelling to do. At least she was being merciful and taking him someplace private to scream at him. You had to appreciate that.

So you can probably imagine Chuck's surprise when the door opened. Sarah looked like she was getting ready for bed. Well, bed maybe but certainly not to sleep. She had clearly taken the time to make sure that her hair and makeup were extra perfect. She was wearing a robe. But Chuck could plainly see she was wearing the same purple negligee that she wore in his room a couple of weeks ago. She looked like an angel. He gazed past her to see the candles burning. There was a bottle of champagne chilling on the end table. Something was obviously up. "I'm so sorry," he quickly said. "I must have misunderstood you. Are you expecting Bryce?"

Chuck winced at the words before they were totally out of his mouth. It was a stupid thing to say. Of course she was expecting Bryce. Why else would she be half naked with a dozen candles painting such a romantic mood? But saying it out loud just made him sound jealous. Of course it was absolutely true. He was beyond jealous. But this wasn't the time or place. He'd have to start putting that aside.

Chuck turned to leave. But he found his retreat hampered by her hold on his wrist. And one thing was for sure. If Sarah Walker had a solid hold of you and didn't want you to leave… you weren't leaving.

Sarah's smile was definitely of the sad variety… but it was a smile. "I'm not expecting Bryce," she said. "Why would you think that? I'm expecting you."

Chuck found himself gently but firmly being pulled inside until he was sitting on the sofa with Sarah next to him. "What's going on?" he asked warily as he looked around the room.

Now Sarah's smile was more natural. "Please relax," she said. "This is my private residence. There is no surveillance in here. This is personal. I… Chuck I just wanted to talk to you in private for once. It's plain that we're both a little jealous. I want to make you understand, there is no reason for you to be jealous of Bryce."

Chuck was beyond stunned. Why was she dressed like this? Or more accurately, why was she not dressed like this? She was so breathtaking that it was hard to think. All he could do was nod.

For her part, Sarah was also plainly uncomfortable. "This is hard for me," she finally admitted, her voice no more than a whisper. "I have a confession. But first I want to apologize. I've been such a bitch to you ever since the incident. This isn't an excuse but I was scared and jealous. I didn't know what to do. That always frustrates me. So I took my frustration out on you. You don't deserve that."

"Sarah," Chuck sighed. "It's okay. I understand. You…"

"I'm not really finished," Sarah interrupted, probably a little more harshly than she intended. "It's not okay, not even a little bit. Something has to change. But that's not the confession. I've been trained to withstand Sodium Pentothal."

Chuck paused for a long moment to try and figure out what she was telling him. Finally it hit him and a huge grin took over. "You lied to me," he said. "When I asked if we were ever going anywhere and you said 'no', you were lying."

Sarah was looking anywhere except at Chuck. "I'm sorry," was all she could say. "I thought that I was doing the right thing."

Chuck found it hard to not gloat. "So," he reasoned. "If you were lying, that means you think that we ARE going somewhere."

Sarah was clearly a big fan of binary logic because suddenly they were kissing. Sure, they had kissed before, several times. This was different than any of the others. It wasn't one of those short pecks in front of Ellie designed to protect their cover. It wasn't even like the hard desperate kiss on that dock that she called 'the incident.' This was simply electric. It was tender, reaching, and affectionate. Okay, so there was more than a little passion mixed in. However you would describe it, it was head and shoulders the highlight of Chuck's life.

They hadn't necked for very long at all before Sarah pulled Chuck to his feet. She had somehow lost her robe and was pulling him toward her bed.

Chuck was in love with Sarah Walker. He knew that he was. She was everything that he could ever ask for in a woman, so far out of his league that it was ridiculous. Any denial would be pointless. The honest truth was that he had been in love with her for a while.

So that meant he currently had the woman he was in love with, not to mention arguably the most beautiful woman in the world, clearly attempting to seduce him. In retrospect, maybe he should have waited until she was finished before attempting to over-analyze the current situation. But that really wouldn't be Chuck, would it? "So," he said. "We're going to be together for real? How is that going to work?"

Sarah was herself plainly over the edge. She shook her head between increasingly hot kisses. "We can't be together," she mumbled. "But I owe you this much. It will have to be enough."

Talk about throwing cold water on something. Chuck stopped in his tracks. "What will have to be enough?" he asked. "Sex? Is that supposed to be enough?"

Sarah was still in seduction mode. "In all fairness," she said between kisses as she fumbled with his belt. "You haven't witnessed the sex yet. I'm thinking it's going to be somewhere in the magical realm."

"You owe me?" Chuck asked incredulously. "That's what this is? You owe me?"

Sarah openly groaned as the seduction she had so meticulously planned for the past two days and fantasized about even longer was now officially on hold. "I'm sorry that I said it like that," she said. "It's not like I'm paying you off. I want this, probably far more than you do. But, Chuck, be reasonable. We can't be together. I wish that we could. But we can't."

"Why?"

Sarah sighed as she released her hold on his now mostly unbuckled belt and took a step back. "Come on, Chuck," she said. "I'm a CIA Agent. I have a duty to honor. You are my asset, maybe the most valuable intelligence asset in the world. I simply can't allow myself to become compromised."

Chuck suddenly found himself angry… very, very angry. "That's bullshit," he snapped. "We both know it."

Sarah was clearly taken aback by Chuck's reaction. The argument seemed so very logical to her, maybe because she repeated it to herself so often. "Why is it bullshit?" she asked softly.

Chuck didn't answer her question… not directly anyway. "Let me ask you something," he said. "What is this about really? Do you love me? Because I sure as hell love you."

Sarah fought down the tingle in her gut. This wasn't the time to get all emotional. She maybe knew, but that was the first time he ever had said it. "What kind of question is that?" she demanded. "It's my job to protect you. I'm doing my best." It was a deflection, sure. Hopefully he wouldn't call her on it. But she sure as hell wasn't close to being emotionally ready to tell him what he wanted to hear… even if it was true.

But Chuck didn't back down. "Of course you are," he said. "Nobody questions that. Now answer my question."

Sarah was plainly getting frustrated. "I don't know what you want me to say," she said, clearly on the edge of rage.

Chuck still didn't back down. "It's a yes or no question," he snapped. "Damn it, Sarah. Answer the question."

Sarah stomped to the other side of the room before rounding angrily. "Yes," she shouted. "I love you, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now? What's your point?"

Chuck looked at his beautiful yet lethal killing machine handler standing there, nostrils flaring. He had probably never been closer to death than at that moment. Yet he couldn't help the grin from spreading over his face. "Yes," he said. "I'm very happy. Not to be critical, but maybe we can work on your delivery a little. I trust that the next time you tell me, I won't feel like you're about ready to throw a knife into my kidney. You wanted to know my point. Here it is. Compromised means that your feelings might make you make bad decisions, decisions that might endanger me, right?"

Sarah already knew where this was going. But she was now trapped in a losing argument. So she just nodded.

"That's already happened," Chuck insisted. "You've already admitted that you love me. You're already compromised. If we're together or not has nothing to do with it."

Sarah was stunned. The argument she had been hearing her whole career and now accepted as a given was so easily stood on its head. "Maybe," she finally said. "But that's not good news. It means I'm ineffective as your bodyguard. I should ask for a reassignment to protect you. How can I claim to love you and intentionally put you at risk?"

Chuck knew that he shouldn't laugh at her. She was already pissed. He simply couldn't help it. "Wow," he said. "You really haven't thought this through at all, have you?"

Sarah just glared at him.

"There is a huge factor that you're not considering," Chuck insisted. "You'll fight twice as hard for someone you love. I'm much safer with a compromised bodyguard who is in love with me than one who sees me as her job. You honestly don't see that?"

This was getting ridiculous. Two sacred CIA arguments in a row so easily stood on their heads. "Maybe," she said softly. "But there are also other reasons."

Chuck stood and stared at her for a long time. "Not reasons," he finally said as he turned for the door. "Complications maybe, but not reasons. That's why I think I should go."

In a heartbeat, Sarah was in his arms. "Don't go," she said. "I want you to spend the night."

Of course Chuck was torn. This was something that he had dreamed about since the day he met her. But by some instinct he also knew it would be a mistake. If he allowed her to seduce him tonight, then sex would define their relationship. They would never grow beyond it. He needed more from her. And the plain truth was that she needed more from him. He just needed to help her get through those impressive walls.

"There will be other nights," Chuck said softly as he rubbed her back affectionately. "Let's figure out what we honestly are to each other, what our priorities are, and how that fits in with our circumstance. Once we've done that, then I'll spend the night… any night you want."

"Chuck," Sarah pleaded. "Please don't go. Don't you want this?"

Chuck was forced to grin at the utter ridiculousness of the situation. "Sarah," he said. "You'll never know… never, ever know how much I want this. But this isn't some search for a conquest for me. I love you. I want more. Let's figure that out first. It won't take long."

Suddenly Sarah found herself alone. Sure she was frustrated. She had never, ever, ever wanted anything in her whole life as much as she wanted him right now. But she also couldn't help the grin. He loved her, was willing to pass up the night of wild sex she had planned to have something more. That was certainly a first for Sarah Walker. How could it not make you feel great?

But there was also another side. Chuck was clearly going to press her for commitments, demand things she wasn't emotionally ready for. That honestly scared her. She would have to trust him for this to work. Trust wasn't her strength. There had never been a man in her life that she would have even considered trusting like she was considering trusting Chuck, not even close. And their circumstance would make any real relationship complicated. She still had to do anything it took to keep him safe. That was a deal breaker. Whatever they did, Casey and Beckman could never find out. But there was one thing that had to be admitted. In a very real way, it excited her.

Chuck now had the upper hand.

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: I had planned on this being a one shot. But now I find myself interested to see what Chuck will do with the upper hand. So that means at least one more chapter._

x-x-x-x-x


	2. A Different Kind of Couple

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_As a writer of Chuck and Sarah stories, I've often been in the center of a huge debate. Did Agent Walker ever use sex on a mission? Some people feel very strongly on either side._

_I honestly find the debate a little silly. The question itself is invalid. Sarah Walker is a fictional character. She doesn't have a history. Unlike a real person, she only exists to the extent that we've seen her on the screen._

_And since we've never seen her on the screen having sex with anyone but Chuck, if you want to believe or write a story that depicts her as pure as freshly fallen snow, nobody can possibly tell you that you're wrong._

_Conversely, a reasonable person could take the clues that the writers have given us and conclude that Agent Walker was a professional spy and, like the other female spies on the show, did whatever it took to complete her assignment which probably included things like sex. If you want to believe that or write a story that depicts her in that way, nobody can possibly tell you that you're wrong._

_Personally, I see Sarah as a very good person who has been used by a subhuman CIA to do some very bad things. She's more than a little emotionally messed up partly because nobody has ever truly loved her. I write her that way. And even though I've received more than my share of complaints about my depictions from the pure as snow folks, I make no apology. To me that is the most interesting, romantic story I could tell. This dark and flawed woman who has been to hell and back finds true love… and discovers that it changes her very core. And surprisingly she finds that she loves the changes… a lot. It's not an uncommon literary theme._

_I bring this up for this reason. Don't worry. If you're in the freshly fallen snow camp and concerned about reading a BillAtWork story, be assured. There won't be anything in this story to challenge that view. In fact, the Sarah of this story is solidly on the snow side of things. You'll soon see that it is a key point. Their deal going forward depends on it. This story is about two people willing to fight the entire world for the right to be together._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**A Different Kind of Couple**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was rather apprehensive as he knocked on Sarah's door. It had been a full week since he was last here. That was far too long. He never dreamed when he left her standing there in that negligee with candles burning that it would be a full week before they could talk next. He felt horrible about it. But thanks to Graham and Beckman double teaming the, well, the team, they had stupid missions every night.

When she jerked the door open, Chuck could clearly see the tension in her face. He tried to keep the mood light. "I don't see any candles burning," he teased as he entered the room.

No sale.

"They're in the cupboard," Sarah said rather coolly. "They didn't work too well last time. I can always get them out whenever we need them."

Chuck really didn't know what to do to break the tension. They sure weren't going to have any meaningful conversation like this. So he did maybe the very last thing that he should have done in this situation, something stupid, something he had certainly never done before. He stepped up, placed his hands on each side of her face… and kissed her.

There is a Latin proverb, 'Fortes Fortuna Iuvat' or in English 'Fortune Favors the Brave'. Well the gods of fortune were fortunately firmly on Chuck's side tonight. It only took a few seconds before it was clear that Sarah wasn't about to throw a knife into his kidney, and just a few seconds more before she had her hands behind his head and was… rather enthusiastically participating.

Chuck didn't let it go very far. After all, they still had things to resolve. And much more of their tongues dancing like this and they would be right back to where they were last time. "That was nice," he said as he broke the kiss.

Sarah was rapidly approaching being on fire. "It was very nice," she agreed as she snuggled into his chest. "Explain something to me. Why are we stopping? Chuck, what do I have to do to let you know how much I want this to happen? In case you haven't noticed, I'm throwing myself at you here. I'm not sure what you're thinking. I know you've seen some things lately that probably has you wondering. But throwing myself at a man is a first for me. What's wrong? Don't you want this?"

Chuck was still trying to keep it light. "Was that a trick question?" he teased as he rubbed her back while they comfortably snuggled.

"Come on, Chuck," Sarah sighed. "If you don't want this, just tell me. Don't make fun of me."

Chuck knew full well that his Sarah was a hothead. Her frustration was about to bubble into rage. He had already seen it happen far too many times to miss the signs. And that would have quickly ended their evening. "I'm not making fun of you, Sarah," he said into the top of her head. "I don't wonder about you at all… not even a little bit. I know who you are. I promise. I couldn't possibly want this any more than I do. But I'm in love with you. I want more than sex. Don't you want that?"

"Please stop asking me that," Sarah said, clearly still frustrated. "It doesn't help anything. This is not about if I want it. Of course I want it. The truth is that I want it more than you do. It's really starting to frustrate me that you seem to question that. You just don't seem to get it. What we want is simply not going to be possible, at least not now. There are far too many barriers. I'm trying my best to be above board with you. You don't understand what I'm risking here. Given our current situation I'm giving you everything that I have to give."

"Do me a favor," Chuck said. "Try and not get so frustrated. Take a breath and talk to me. Let's both open our minds here. I get that there are complications. I'm willing to work within them. We're smart people. We both want the exact same thing. Let's work together to figure out how we can have the very most that we can have. If it turns out that you're right and there is nothing we can do except for sex, I can live with that… for now anyway. But at least we'll have tried. Okay? What is the main issue?"

Sarah paused for a long moment. "I have rules I'm expected to follow," she finally said.

So now it was Chuck's turn to get frustrated. "Come on, Sarah," he said angrily. "I get there are huge issues. But please don't hide behind arbitrary rules. That's not fair. You are far more important to me than any stupid CIA rules. If I'm not more important to you than that, maybe we don't have anything to discuss."

That was Sarah's cue that she had to stop deflecting. Chuck was far to smart for that to work. And he had just firmly called her on it. So she kept her face buried in his chest. "Please don't get mad at me," she said, fighting to keep her voice from breaking. "I can't take that right now. Chuck, I don't think you get how hard this is for me. I'm trying my best. I'm sorry that I said it like that." She took a long moment to gather her composure.

"You misunderstood me," Sarah finally continued more calmly. "Of course you're more important to me than the rules. I don't know how to say it any plainer than that. If that wasn't true we wouldn't be standing here. I'm breaking my rules right now just having this discussion. But Chuck, understand something. She's not messing around. She'd drop a 49b on my head faster than Jeff can find porn on the internet. If I'm yanked away to an assignment in Jakarta we have nothing, right? That's my biggest fear. If we keep it to just sex, that won't happen."

"She?" Chuck asked. "Don't you report to Graham?"

"Don't worry about Graham," Sarah said. "We have an… understanding. I know that he seems crusty. That's intentional on his part. Don't get me wrong, he is a very bad enemy to have. I know that from tons of personal experience. But he's honestly a decent guy. He's been very good to me over the years. If I called him, he would do a lot for me. He'd even help us with this if he could. That's one of the few things we have going for us. Beckman and Graham are oil and vinegar. They agree on almost nothing. It's Beckman that we have to worry about."

Chuck definitely noticed her uncomfortable pause when she described her relationship with Director Graham. There was obviously more to their history than she was offering. But he made a mental note to wait for a calmer time and ask her about it. "Help me understand," he said. "If you're so worried about Beckman, why is me being here tonight, umm… I mean, why is sex okay?"

For the first time, Sarah lifted her head and looked at him. It wasn't exactly a toothy grin, but her smile was relaxed and genuine at his adorable discomfort. "You don't understand the issue," she said. "Beckman couldn't care less if we have sex six times a night. In fact she would encourage that. She'd gladly ship us a gross of CIA issue condoms so we'd always be prepared whenever the mood struck. She wouldn't even care if you fell in love with me. She'd like that. In fact if I was like most female agents, she would have already ordered it. She's already strongly hinted to me that I should seduce you. In her mind that would mean that I could easily control you. What she wouldn't tolerate is me falling in love with you. Thanks to Casey she is already suspicious of that. So she is watching me, straining, looking for any sign that I'm compromised. If she had any evidence to prove that's true to show Graham, I'm immediately gone. In fact I'd be long gone now if we weren't so effective as a team. Our success gives her political power. That's the main thing that we have going for us."

"Why?" Chuck asked. "I don't get it. Why does Beckman give a rip about your love life?"

"I'd no longer blindly follow her orders," Sarah said. "Handlers are often asked to do tough things with their assets, things that aren't always in their best interests. If I'm in love with my asset, she could never be sure of what I'd do. I might very well do what is best for him, regardless of what she ordered. She understands that. It's completely unacceptable to her."

"If?" Chuck asked gently. "Him? You're making it sound pretty hypothetical."

Sarah's smile quickly faded. Chuck having the upper hand and forcing her to be open had its definite drawbacks. "You're going to make me say it again, aren't you?" she sighed. "Okay, yes. I'm sorry that I said it like that. The handler in this case is most definitely in love with her asset. You were right. I'm already compromised. It's time to face that and deal with it. From this point forward I'm going to do whatever is best for you whenever I possibly can. To Beckman, that trumps our incredible accomplishments or any good thing she gets from me controlling you. She is terrified of not being able to control me. If she believes that's true, she'll quickly conclude that it's safer to replace me with someone she can control like a Carina and hope it doesn't hurt the team too badly. If it came to that, Graham wouldn't be able to stop her."

"Okay," Chuck said. "That actually makes sense. I guess I've never thought that through. Thank you for explaining it to me. Now help me figure out how much we can have while telling Beckman what she wants to hear. We're already in a cover relationship. We'll be a couple… just a different kind of couple."

"It would be hard," Sarah said. "I'm willing to talk. But don't underestimate them. They have rooms full of experts trained at reading the expressions on people's faces. They have cameras pointed at us from multiple angles almost everyplace we go. Casey is almost always with us. He's itching to tell Beckman that I'm compromised."

"You really don't like Casey, do you?"

That got a smile. "Not really," Sarah said. "He doesn't like me either. Just like Beckman and Graham, we're oil and vinegar. I think he's a very good agent. I completely trust him to have my back as a partner. But we've had a run in or two in the past. For one thing, the CIA and NSA have always had an institutional competitive thing going. Besides he's way, way too 'by the book' for my tastes. He checks the manual before he scratches his ass to make sure he does it in the prescribed military manner. In the CIA we're taught to use our personal initiative, to think out of the box in order to accomplish our objectives. That kind of thinking drives Casey crazy. He thinks I'm unpredictable, calls me a loose cannon."

"I'm not trying to start anything," Chuck said. "But I think you might be underestimating Casey a little. I can see a change since we've been together. I think that maybe we can count on him more than you think."

Sarah's smile turned into a grin. "That's because you're a good person," she said lovingly. "You always look for the good in people. I've never met anyone like you before. It's one of the main reasons I want us to happen so badly. But even if you're right about Casey, it's far too risky to trust him. And he is going to be very hard to fool."

"But this is your particular genius," Chuck protested. "You're the best there is. Fooling people is what you've been trained to do, right?"

Chuck couldn't have possibly said anything better to her than calling her the best. He had a point. She was the best. But it still wasn't that easy. Sarah pulled away from him and walked across the room. "Let's put some things on the table," she said as she rounded on him. "You want total honesty? You want me to help fool them so we can be together? Okay. Fooling Casey and Beckman isn't my top concern. We might be able to pull that off. But that's not enough. If we're going to have this discussion, you need to understand something. My being reassigned is only half of our problems. You are in serious danger. We're not going to be having much of a relationship if you're wearing a toe tag. And fooling people into thinking we're not together wouldn't fix that, I'm afraid. So if you don't hear another thing that I say tonight, hear this. I'll not compromise on your safety. That's a deal breaker. I can't go to your funeral, Chuck. I… I… I just can't do that. That's my line in the sand. If we're going to try and move forward, I'd love that. I'm even looking forward to you taking more of the lead. But it has to be within that boundary. And that means some things."

"Such as?"

"On missions we're not a couple," Sarah said firmly. "Of any kind. I'm your bad ass handler and you are my nerd asset. We'll have to switch our feelings off at the door and switch them back on when we get back. Sometimes, I'll even be intentionally cold to you for Beckman's benefit. So you never, never, ever play grab ass when we're on an assignment. We take each and every assignment completely seriously and professionally. You follow my directions without stopping to think about what they mean first. When I tell you to stay in the car, you stay in the damn car. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Chuck said quickly. "That's easy. In my defense whenever I haven't stayed in the car it was do to special circumstances. I completely trust you to protect me. I know that you don't believe this. But I love it when you're Bad Ass Agent Walker. I'd love to hear some stories someday about her history."

Sarah inwardly winced. Telling Chuck stories of her past would be hard. It's something she'd have to grow into. "I do believe it," she insisted. "I just want it on the record. That's one of your most attractive qualities to me. You're willing to take a back seat without getting all macho. I also appreciate it professionally. As far as my history… someday, okay?"

Chuck knew that he needed to let her off the hook a little. "But when we're not on missions," he said with a short laugh. "I reserve the right to be the guy in the relationship every once in a while. Grab ass has to be in play. Although I have to admit, I'm more of a breast man."

That broke a lot of the tension in the room and got them both laughing. "When we're in this room, you're in charge. Feel free to grope me whenever, wherever, and however long you'd like," Sarah said as she matched his grin. "I think I'd like that. The only rule is you need to be prepared to finish what you start. When it comes to you, I'm finding that my fuse is pretty short. Once you light it… Just a heads up, I'm going to reserve the same privilege, subject to the same rule."

Chuck resisted the urge to blush. "Fair enough," he continued. "That's not all I have. Being a real couple means something. I expect that you make an honest attempt at letting me inside of your walls. I'm going to expect the same level of trust from you that you're demanding of me. You're the strong, silent type. I get that. But that's my line in the sand. I don't expect you to change overnight. I do understand that this will be a struggle. But I do expect honest effort and steady growth. Agreed?"

Sarah stood there for a long moment. "Agreed," she finally sighed. "Trust is going to be an issue for me. Anybody in my life that I've ever trusted has screwed me over."

"I'll never screw you over."

That got a genuinely warm smile. "I know," she said. "I do believe that. It might take some time for me to feel it. Keep pushing me. I'd also appreciate some patience when my instincts are bad. Chuck, I promise I'll work hard at it."

"That's all that I ask."

"There is one more thing," Sarah sighed. "I'm not trying to be a downer here. But there is a reality we have to face. If we try and fool them, we're going to have to do some hard things at times to throw them off the track. Beckman knows that I've always refused the seduction assignments that would include actual sex. It annoys her to no end that I'm high enough on the CIA pecking order to get away with it. She'd love to manipulate me into a situation where she could force me to do it once, just to prove to me that she is the boss. I could go to her tomorrow and tell her that I've changed my mind, that I've decided it's best for the mission if I seduce you. She'd be all over that. She'd probably even allow us to move in together."

"That would be great," Chuck said enthusiastically. "Let's do that."

"Here's the deal," Sarah said sadly. "I understand what makes Beckman tick a lot more than you do. I know that she seems evil to you. But she isn't really. She just has an impossible job that has zero margin for error. When she makes mistakes legitimate governments fall, evil wins a hand, good people are killed. I know that she makes some decisions that we think are stone cold stupid. She often has me scratching my head. But she is a lot smarter than you give her credit for. She would be waiting for me. If I was suddenly willing to use sex when I'm famous for adamantly refusing over the years, it would get her thinking. She'd order me to seduce someone else first just to prove to her that I'd do it. Then I'd be stuck, right? What could I possibly say? That I'm only willing to use sex with you? We might as well mail her a wedding invitation. I'd have to either accept her assignment, probably with you and Casey watching the surveillance feed… or admit the truth and be reassigned. I assume either is as unacceptable to you as it would be to me."

"Yes, either would be unacceptable," Chuck said sadly. "Sarah, I owe you a huge apology. I'm so sorry that I've underestimated you. It sounds like you have thought this through a lot more than I've given you credit for."

That got a sad smile. "Do you really think that you're the only one who wants this?" Sarah asked rhetorically. "The truth is I want this to happen far more than you do. I've spent hours and hours running through different scenarios in my head trying to figure out a way to make it happen. The only way I can see for it to work in any long term way is if we keep our relationship looking pretty much like it currently is and only act like a couple when we're alone and out of their sight. I know that's hard. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Chuck said. "You're simply amazing. You're fighting just as hard as I am. I'm more than a little embarrassed that I didn't see that before now. So if Agent Walker is still unwilling to use sex on a mission, and good choice by the way, how can we explain me being here so much?"

That actually got a genuine laugh. "We're protecting our cover," Sarah explained. "We have to sell it to Ellie and the crowd that we really are a couple. The more I complain to Beckman about you spending the night becoming awkward, the more she'll make me do it. As far as she knows, we won't be having any sex. I'm afraid that means we won't be getting the CIA issue condoms. We'll have to buy our own."

"Let me get this straight," Chuck said with a grin. "We're selling Ellie that we're real when we're fake and we're selling Beckman we're fake when we're real. That's getting complicated."

"It's very complicated," Sarah agreed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. We can pull this off, Chuck. But we can't make a single mistake. Beckman will buy the 'protecting the cover' story. But even then she is going to push me. She is almost assuredly going to order me to get close to someone like that Lon Kirk dude again every once in a while, as a test. She is also almost assuredly going to make sure that you are watching me get intimate with him. She might even come up with some reason to make you get close to someone while I'm forced to watch. Up to the line I've always drawn, I'd have no way to refuse that kind of assignment. She's going to be looking very closely for my reaction. She can't see anything other than stone cold professional Agent Walker. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Chuck sighed. "You already know how much I'd hate that. But I do get that you'd have no choice. I'll make every effort to support you as much as I possibly can, you'll be as sensitive to me as you can, and we'll get through it."

"Let me ask you a hypothetical question," Sarah said so softly that Chuck had to strain to hear her. "This is risky. It could all go south really suddenly. If she catches us and reassigns me, or decides that you need to be underground for some reason, we'd pretty much be down to two choices. We could accept being apart for a while. It could possibly be for as long as a year or maybe even two until I could get back, assuming our main issue with the Intersect has been resolved… or we could run. Running means we'd be together and could be open. But it also means we'd never see Morgan or Ellie again. Be totally honest. Which would you prefer?"

Chuck's heart very nearly soared right out of his chest. She had just made an implicit lifelong commitment to him. If she was reassigned, she had just promised to come back. If they ran, that was forever. And she was far too smart to not realize how he would hear her. She said it that way on purpose. It was her way of telling him this was forever for her without having to say the words. That's why she was so visibly nervous. So he made doubly sure that she knew it was forever for him as well. His answer was swift and sure. "If that was a test, I think I'm going to pass," he said. "There is no decision to make. I'm going to do whatever it takes to be with you. That one is easy. I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Sarah didn't deny that it was a test. Indeed, she found herself holding her breath waiting for the answer. So her face broke into a relieved grin. "Me too," she said.

"Besides," Chuck teased. "Your assignments are dangerous. There's no way I'd let you go off on your own without me to protect you."

That got them both laughing again.

"That's good to know," Sarah said with that unmistakable gleam in her eye. "I'll start making some contingency plans. I've already done some thinking about it. But just to get this on the table. Running would be dangerous. It would also be forever. We'd be together, and that part would be great, but we would still pay a huge personal price. We're far better off just being together in secret, waiting them out until things change with the Intersect, and we can be open. So running has to be an absolute desperate last resort."

"I know."

Sarah's mood had clearly changed dramatically for the better as she sauntered back over to where Chuck was still standing. "Let's summarize these negotiations," she said. "Shall we? I honestly believe I've done everything that you've asked of me tonight. We agree that Us is now official. You clearly now have the upper hand and are calling the shots on Us. I've committed to mostly put aside my tendency to take charge of things and will follow your lead. I've agreed to set aside my sworn duty and am planning on acts that most definitely would be considered treasonous. If discovered, I could easily go to prison. I've also agreed to go a hundred miles outside of my comfort zone and work on being more open with you. And I've done those things gladly for only one reason. I'm all in on Us. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I would," Chuck said. "Thank you. You've been great. I'm so impressed. I'm all in on Us too."

"Don't thank me," Sarah said. "I'm only doing what I want to do. But I do think I'm now in a position to ask for a favor from you. That's fair. Right?"

"Of course," Chuck said. "You know that you don't have to ask me for a favor. What do you want?"

"You've left me burning for a whole week," Sarah said as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him not so gently towards the bedroom. "I get that I've committed to mostly following your lead in this room. But that is completely unacceptable. Bed now. Clothes off."

"We'll save the candles and negligee for another time."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: This was getting a little long. So I think I'll stop here. Sorry, lol._

x-x-x-x-x


	3. A Bumpy Ride

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**A Bumpy Ride**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was engaged in her newly discovered very favorite thing. She had her head propped up on her elbow and was watching him sleep. He looked so… perfect.

Of course they had problems, big ones. Sarah knew the challenges ahead very well. Chuck was a little on the naïve side when it came to the realities of this life. The CIA had resources everywhere. And Chuck was so high profile that they were watching his every breath. There was a definite limit to how much time they could spend here without raising suspicions. Getting him alone outside of this room to even be able to hold his hand for a while was going to be very rare. She made a mental note to talk to him about it. He was a genius. Maybe they could find a way together to be able to spend more time alone… without taking stupid chances. That was the other side. This would certainly be tricky. And the punishment for getting caught… she had underplayed it earlier. The CIA wasn't encumbered with silly things like morals or conscience. They would do anything, emphasis on anything, to make you do their bidding. The road ahead was filled with potholes, and even landmines. She should currently be panicked.

So why wasn't she?

It was an excellent question, one that she really didn't have a good answer for. It almost felt like she was watching this happen to someone else. Sarah was anything but impulsive. She was completely accustomed to ignoring her personal feelings, pushing them down deep, and concentrating on the mission. In fact, this was totally out of character. Agent Sarah Walker didn't commit treason. She hunted down and shot people who committed treason. And doing it for love? Sarah wasn't even sure before now that she believed in love, at least not like that anyway. And even if it did exist, it had always been reserved for other people… normal ones. Two months ago if someone told her that she would feel so strongly for a man that she was willing to commit treason for him, Sarah would have laughed in their face. She would have accused them of trying to pick a fight… and then more often than not she would have given them their wish.

What was it about this guy that had her willing to throw away the only adult life she had ever known and blindly follow him? He wasn't even her type. She had only known him for a few months. And actually, that was a question she did have a good answer for. He was… well, he was her Chuck. He was real, the sweetest guy in the world.

He was honestly the bravest man she had ever met. Sarah had spent her entire adult life being surrounded by brave men who did amazing things. She honestly admired those men. It even sometimes became a turn-on. So they became her type. There was more than once when she could have seen herself happy with one of those amazing men, for a while anyway. She certainly didn't suffer from a lack of opportunities. They were all over her. But that didn't work out so well. The couple of times she had allowed it to happen she was invariably quickly disappointed and just as quickly ended it.

She sadly discovered that the men who had become her type were, without exception, clearly interested in only one thing. Once they got it, there was really no place for the relationship to go. Bryce maybe lasted the longest, but even he was never more than a fling, for either of them.

Chuck was completely different. He did things that he wasn't trained to do. He often didn't have a clue what to do next… yet he figured it out and did it anyway.

Even more importantly he honestly loved her… for her. None of those other guys could begin to claim that. He wasn't one of those smooth, dripping with arrogance, alpha males she had come to enjoy shooting down so much. He wasn't playing a line, putting in the time required in an attempt to claim the huge trophy that getting Sarah Walker into bed had come to represent in the spy community. He proved it over and over. He actually turned down that trophy she had freely offered just last week because he wanted more. He was willing to stand in front of a bomb and be blown into a million pieces, not because he could have helped, but for only one reason. He couldn't bear the thought of her dying alone.

Sarah was uncomfortable thinking in 'the rest of her life' terms. She always had been. That just wasn't her. Until today she never planned for any future beyond the next mission. But inside her gut she knew. This was a man that you claimed for your very own. One you fought for. One you stood beside and planned your future with. One who you grew old with and maybe even someday bore his children. One you loved unconditionally, with zero reservations, and trusted to love you unconditionally back. Normally those thoughts would have been uncomfortable, scary even. Now the warm glow they caused was impossible to deny. She had hinted with him that this was forever for her. But she would have to get over her issues and find some way to tell him more plainly… maybe not today but soon. He'd love that.

And the sex. Wow. Okay, Sarah was by no means uptight about sex. Before today, she thought that it was okay. There were even some rare times when she found herself in a mood where it was more than okay. But it was mostly more trouble than it was worth. She had seen it time and time again make otherwise smart people, both men and women, do the stupidest, most self destructive things. That's the main reason she had always rejected the seduction missions. She saw early on what it did to her teammates, which is the closest thing that she had to friends. They had all come to think of themselves as mere objects. How could you possibly value something that you gave away so freely? Sarah was perfectly willing to make huge sacrifices for the greater good. But that was simply asking too much.

The sad truth was that Sarah had never been with a man who thought of anything but himself in bed. It took her a long time to figure out that the very narcissism that made those men such great agents in the first place also made them inattentive to anyone's needs but their own, and frankly fairly lousy lovers. Bryce was actually maybe the worst in that regard. Sarah quickly learned that if she wanted anything out of the experience, she was responsible to make it happen. Bryce had always misinterpreted her taking charge of their sex life as something more, that she was in love with him. He openly made fun of her about it. The truth was, it was exactly the opposite. It was something less. It became a bigger and bigger chore. He was just too big of a narcissist to figure it out.

Okay, sure, going in she had high hopes that Chuck would be different. There wasn't an arrogant bone in his body. She had spent countless hours alone in her bed building up those hopes. In fact those hopes were now so high that she had prepared herself to be a little disappointed. But the truth was, whatever amazing things she had imagined in her all too frequent daydreams, he left every single one standing there in the dust tonight. They didn't have sex. They made love. Before tonight Sarah didn't understand the difference. She sure as hell did now.

He was simply perfect. He was everything that Bryce wasn't. He was gentle and patient and loving. He made doubly sure that wherever he went, she was right there with him. In fact, he clearly enjoyed making her enjoyment his priority. Allowing a man to take complete control in bed was not her style, in fact was a first for her. But it was also nothing short of magical. It was like he could read her mind. He somehow knew every single thing that she wanted a full beat before she even did… and he over delivered in spades every single time. Each touch was electric.

Sarah grinned as she internally debated how much to admit all of this to him. He deserved to hear how much she appreciated his efforts, how much he had just rocked her world off its foundation. Words weren't her strength. But that would be something good for his self esteem to hear. Then again he was getting a little cocky as it was. And telling him would invariably lead to the, formality maybe, but still scary lifetime commitment discussion that she wasn't yet ready to have.

Besides, he was far too smart to not quickly figure it out on his own anyway. Once he realized the power he had over her, she would be helpless. Helpless had always been Sarah Walker's worst nightmare. She spent hours and hours meticulously planning to avoid being helpless. So why was the current feeling in her insides so exciting at the thought of being helpless with Chuck Bartowski that she had to fight to keep from leaning over and waking him up? One thing was for sure. Going back to the way things were yesterday was no longer an option. They had just crossed the Rubicon. Whatever happened from now on, it would happen to them together.

Sarah leaned over to give him a quick kiss, surprised when he kissed back.

"I know that you said Beckman could care less if we had sex six times a night," Chuck said without opening his eyes. "At the time, I thought maybe that was just exaggeration for effect. Now I'm thinking that you might have meant it more literally. Maybe you need to temper your expectations a little, Missy."

Then there was that. He could make her laugh. Agent Walker never laughed. In fact she had acquired something of a reputation for always being overly serious. But Chuck Bartowski could make her laugh out loud until her sides hurt. And he could do it seemingly on demand. The feeling was hard to describe. Wonderful fell woefully short.

"But we're only half way to six," Sarah protested with a faux pout. "I thought that you were trying to impress me. Surely you want to do better than half way. That doesn't sound like the Chuck Bartowski that I know. Where's your pride?" She glanced at the clock. "It's almost midnight," she said. "Maybe you'd better hurry. Technically, you might have to start over."

Before Sarah knew what was happening Chuck had grabbed her and rolled them over, putting Sarah on her back with him on top. "So that's how it's going to be," he teased. "Challenging my manhood on the very first night. You're so going to pay for that one, Missy."

That got them both helplessly laughing. It was of those life moments that you remembered until the day you died.

Sarah wasn't much for pet names. Dad always called her Darlin. It made her feel like a kid. But Missy? It sounded like something you'd call a pet Pomeranian. Normally anyone calling her Missy would have her groaning in disgust. But tonight it seemed to fit. Whatever he wanted to call her, or anything else he wanted when it came right down to it, she was ready to deliver. She had surrendered. Chuck now had as much upper hand as he wanted. She kept the faux pout. "I've been bad," she admitted playfully. "I need to be punished."

Fortunately, Chuck had a sixth sense about these things and knew exactly what she wanted before she even did. So quickly enough their tongues were dancing. "You do need to be punished," he mumbled as his kisses moved down her neck. "I think I know the perfect way."

Chuck clearly knew what he was doing to her. Sarah had to grab two handfuls of sheet to keep her vow of allowing him to take charge and not press on his head. "Chuck," she moaned. "Could you please go a little faster?"

He paused his agonizingly slow journey for a second when he reached her navel to lift up and grin evilly at her. "But that wouldn't be punishment," he said playfully. "Would it?"

Wow. It sure didn't take him long to figure out his power over her. Suddenly 'helpless' took on a whole new meaning. It quickly had Sarah on the edge of the ability for rational thought. "Could we maybe work something out?" Sarah pleaded. "How about I say I'm honestly sorry and won't ever let it happen again? Please? I'm on fire here."

Chuck was plainly enjoying taking charge of their sex life. All she could do was plead for mercy. Fortunately, he was in love and completely dedicated to her happiness. "I hope you realize that you're getting off very easy this time," Chuck said with a grin as he recognized the need in her voice and finally, thankfully, picked up the pace.

"Next time some serious begging will be involved."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat at the kitchen table and cautiously sipped at the cup of tea Ellie had just sat before her.

"Thank you for coming," Ellie said. "We really never have had the chance to talk."

Sarah hadn't really been expecting Ellie's call. She was a trained expert at reading people. But she was struggling at reading Ellie's mood. It definitely wasn't hostile. But it wasn't overly friendly either. So she decided to just let Ellie do the talking. "Of course, Ellie," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"Look, Sarah," Ellie began hesitantly. "I really don't know how to say this. So I'm just going to say it. I'm not trying to offend you. But I'm also not going to dance around this. Maybe you're going to think this is inappropriate. Maybe you even think that this is none of my business. I'm sorry but I'm making it my business."

Sarah wasn't surprised. Her, as of now still unofficial, future Sister-in-Law had always been a straight shooter. "Okay, Ellie," she said. "Don't worry about offending me. What is it?"

"You've been with Chuck for over three months now, with him every single day," Ellie said. "I'm confused. It looks like you two are on the path to really going somewhere. And yet you haven't spent a single night together. Chuck's a big boy. He can make his own sex life decisions. But I don't think you realize how fragile he is. I'm just looking out for him. He needs a lot of reassurance. He's afraid that you're out of his league. If you are the person I hope you are, you can understand what I'm doing."

Sarah nodded. "I can," she said. "I understand the bond that you two share. I admire it. There is nothing I'd never want to do to affect it in any way. Chuck's not out of my league. Why would he think that?"

That got a more relaxed and genuine smile. "Okay, Sarah," Ellie said. "I think I see the problem. He hides his insecurity with you. But now you know. He needs to understand that you are a real couple. I need that too. So let me ask you."

"What are you going to do about it?"

x-x-x-x-x

The scene was instantly familiar. The second that she opened the door, Chuck could plainly see the candles burning. The champagne was chilling in the same spot as before. Sarah was dressed in her purple negligee. She was clearly kicking up the seductive aura a couple of notches. She had somehow misplaced her robe… along with one of the key negligee accessories. It was undoubtedly the most erotic sight of his life. He wasn't even all the way in the room yet before Sarah was in his arms.

"Wow," Chuck said as soon as his mouth was free. "It either worked and we're celebrating, or it didn't work and you're consoling me. Either way, I just have to say, I love that look on you."

That got Sarah laughing. "Hey," she said. "You said that you were a breast man. I figured that meant you were implicitly telling me that you expected a plainer view of mine. Answering the door topless seemed a bit much. I thought that this might be a good compromise. I'm sorry if I miscalculated. I'm just following your lead like we agreed."

"Are you under the impression that I'm complaining in any way?" Chuck asked in mock alarm.

They shared a long laugh. "Did it work?" Sarah finally asked rhetorically. "Chuck, my phone was ringing before I was even in the car. Beckman was pissed. She gave me a royal ass chewing. She is very concerned that we're not selling the cover enough. She expects that we start making it a priority. She wants you to start spending the night here whenever it's practical."

"That bitch."

That got Sarah helplessly laughing even harder. "Tell me about it," she was finally able to get out. "No matter how much I complained, no matter how awkward I said it was, she wouldn't budge. Not only that, she wants us to fake some necking and arrange to have Ellie catch us in a compromising position."

Chuck stoked his chin in exaggerated faux thought. "Our thing under the undercover thing just got a lot more interesting," he said with the classic Bartowski grin. "Too bad we'll be monitored. It will have to look fake."

"I'm afraid so," Sarah sighed. "It would have been fun to mostly lose my top. Imagine the look on her face when she realized that we were getting ready to go for it right on her couch."

"Forget her face," Chuck said. "Mostly lose your top and imagine the look on my face. I'm a breast man, remember?"

That got them both laughing again. But then again, they spent most of their time together in here laughing.

"What did you say to Ellie?" Sarah was finally able to ask. "She doesn't dislike me, does she? I don't want to harm our possible relationship. After all, she's going to be my sis…"

Chuck grinned as Sarah realized what she was about to say and trailed off awkwardly. He decided to let it slide. This was hard for her. And they had plenty of time to have that kind of talk. She was really trying. You had to admire that. "Don't worry," he said. "It's nothing like that. I just told her that I was afraid that you weren't physically attracted to me. I knew she would confront you. It was all too predictable. Now all I have to do is go to her in the hospital where we're not monitored looking all exhausted, tell her that you took her little chat to heart, and stepped up in a huge way. I'll ask her for some vitamins, thank her for her help, and she'll be your best friend for life."

Sarah shared Chuck's grin. Her new very real guy was such a freaking genius. He had just played both Beckman and his sister like a violin. Now they would be able to spend almost every night together. It was time to celebrate… in their own special way. "This negligee really isn't that comfortable without the matching bra," she said as she lifted her arms up in clear signal. "Maybe you'd like to help me out of it. After all, you are a breast man."

She didn't have to ask him twice. Quickly enough the offending garment was tossed un-ceremonially to the floor. "Better?" he asked sarcastically.

That got them laughing again. But quickly enough laughter turned back into desire. "I love you," Chuck said as he pulled her close. "You're so amazing." Seeing the conflict on her face, Chuck quickly responded. "Don't worry," he added. "I don't need to hear it back every time. I already know. I want to tell you that I fully understand how hard you're trying. Thank you. I'm very proud of you."

Sarah was mostly naked, wearing only the purple panties that came with the negligee. He actually blushed a little as he gazed at her form lovingly as best he could. It was beyond adorable. "God, you're so beautiful," he said. "I'm sorry for staring. You just take my breath away."

It was pretty hard to make Sarah Walker blush. After all, personal modesty really didn't fit in with being a CIA Agent. The Academy made sure of that. And she was dying to drag him to the bed and get their evening started off with a bang. But as much as she felt consumed by the fog of lust she knew that she had an important symbolic point to make.

Chuck had just used some very sweet words to make her feel like she was floating on a cloud. She would work on it and get better, but words were probably never going to be Sarah's strength. But this was one area where words hopefully wouldn't be needed to get him on that cloud alongside her. She made sure that she put on her sweetest smile as she locked eyes with him. Then she took a step back, slowly slipped her remaining article of clothing down her legs, slowly and conspicuously moved her arms to her side out of the way, and just stood there smiling, allowing his wide eyes full access to stare in the fully lit room for as long as he wanted. Her unspoken signal to him couldn't have been clearer. From this point forward there was nothing she would ever hold back. He was calling the shots. If he wanted to look she was going to make damned sure he got the very best view possible… the one that was now reserved exclusively for him. In this room she wasn't Agent Walker. She was Chuck's Sarah.

His grateful grin told her that he fully understood. The connection they were silently making instantly had her as on fire as she had ever been in her life… ever. Of course maybe that wasn't so impressive considering second place had only been a couple of days ago, the last time they were together… and third through fifth place a few hours before that. But still.

Fortunately, Chuck could still read her mind and knew exactly what she wanted. Not that it was all that hard to figure out. So quickly enough he stepped up to her and their tongues were dancing. "Fasten your seatbelt," he mumbled between ever increasingly intense kisses as he scooped up his soul mate and carried her to the bed.

"It's going to be a bumpy ride."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: Imagine how different the show would have been if they were together in Season 1 yet hiding it. That would have been the more natural story, right? As early as Marlin, they admitted to each other, at least implicitly, that they both had romantic feelings. Imagine the angst of all of the triangles being replaced by the fear of getting caught and the uncertainty of mixing a spy life with a real, loving, long term relationship._

_Imagine First Date. They're finally going to be able to be open about being together. But here is the problem. Sarah's assignment is over. How do they deal with the possibility of being reassigned? Do they run? One thing about that episode surprised me. Sarah didn't react to her mentor being killed. Does that change things?_

_Imagine Seduction. Roan instantly sees through them when they kiss. What do they have to do to keep him from outing them? What happens when Chuck finds Bryce in Sarah's room?_

_Imagine Breakup. How do they fool Bryce?_

_Imagine DeLorean. Sarah's ashamed of dad. But maybe Chuck misinterprets her hesitancy as something deeper._

_Imagine Suburbs. They finally get a real taste of openly living the life they want for a while. Can they go back to the way it was?_

_Think about Broken Heart. It's Sarah's worst fear. Is it time to run?_

_The list goes on and on._

_So I think that the rest of this story might be some vignettes of the various episodes and how they would have changed had they been secretly together. _

x-x-x-x-x


	4. Chuck vs The Marlin

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_Okay, so I'm going to give this a shot. My idea is to take the episodes one at a time and retell them with the switch being Chuck and Sarah are secretly together and doing what it takes to hide it from Beckman and (for now anyway) Casey._

_Some of these will be fairly short. I'm not going to retell the entire episode. I'm assuming you're already familiar with the episode. You can re-watch it on your own, lol. I'm only going to reference things that explain what we saw differently. My goal is that not much will change from what we saw on the screen. We'll just see what happened from a new perspective._

_Not that it matters but sometimes I wonder what the writers were thinking. I mean seriously. I watched the rooftop scene to prepare for this chapter. There is a line in that scene where Sarah is in hand to hand combat with Lizzy, the Fulcrum Agent. She is risking her life trying to save his… and maybe keep him from an underground bucker. His impassioned encouragement to her? Be careful with Devon's ring. Really writers? Did you really want to make Chuck sound that callous? It's almost as bad as the 'I used to be in love' line from the finale._

_I'm doing this without a net. If this idea crashes and burns, I'll stop and slink off in embarrassed silence, lol._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**Chuck vs The Marlin**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah stood on the rooftop, as close to panic as she ever allowed herself. She actually reached behind her for her gun as she pleaded with Agent Longshore to hold off the transfer. And when she was convinced that wasn't going to happen, at least allow her to talk to him.

It was beyond surreal. Agent Sarah Walker was about to pull her weapon on a fellow agent, one who was doing nothing other than faithfully following his legitimate orders. This was getting crazy. The very thought was treasonous. Was she really going to shoot him? That would be pretty drastic. It would make both of them instant fugitives. It would mean grabbing Chuck and running. And she hadn't had a chance to develop her plan yet. Running without a well thought out plan would be beyond desperate. Their odds of escape would not be good, in fact they approached zero. And even if they could avoid getting caught, they would have to do some pretty distasteful things.

Thankfully Agent Longshore backed down before things got to that point. "One minute," he said, holding up a single finger for emphasis. "One minute."

By the time she got to Chuck, he was clearly scared. "I'm not ready, Sarah," he said. "I'm not ready to disappear."

She knew that it was her job to be strong. That was their deal. On missions she'd be the strong one and at home he would be. But she knew if she tried to say too much she would just break down. How was that being strong for him? "I know," was all she could say.

"I need you to talk to Ellie," Chuck said. "And to Morgan and my friends. And… and tell em… I don't know, if I'm supposed to be dead just say something that will make it okay… that will make them feel alright. Just make sure that they know how much I love them. You can do that, right? Of course you can. You're Sarah. You can do anything."

Sarah couldn't keep the tears from falling. That was her Chuck. He was looking out for his loved ones. All she could do was to give him a half smile. It was as much as she could manage.

"And hey," Chuck continued. "There's a silver lining to this too, you know? Cause we're not working together any more. And that means we can go on a real date." He grabbed both of her hands lovingly. "Now maybe we can finally be open about how we really feel."

Now Sarah really couldn't keep the tears from falling. That was her Chuck. That was her guy at his amazing best. He was setting aside his own fear to look out for her. Why should she be surprised in any way? She felt so guilty that she hadn't had time to make plans for them to run. She had spent entirely too much time in bed lately. So for now, Chuck was probably safer underground. But she locked eyes with him and made damned sure he could see her resolve. "Chuck," she said. "Save you later."

She really didn't know exactly what that meant herself. Breaking him out of a secure CIA facility would be a challenge. Graham could maybe help. At the very least he could get her in to see him. She'd call him as soon as Chuck was gone.

But things never got to that point. Instead this was the time where all hell broke loose for a while. Longshore was no longer the enemy. In fact he was dead. And this Fulcrum Agent had the strategic position and all the weapons. It would be a fight to the death. But she was actually relieved. At least now Agent Walker was back in her element.

"I have two guns," Lizzy taunted as she had Chuck trapped. "What do you have?"

Sarah stayed in her hidden position ready to pounce. Did Fulcrum really hit all of their agents with a stupid stick? Okay, she maybe had some guns. But didn't she realize how foolish it was to mess with Sarah Walker, especially given her current mood? Sarah measured her leap to land in the middle of Lizzy's chest. After all, it was a large target.

"He has me."

x-x-x-x-x

Finally they were back where they belonged. Sarah had quickly grown accustomed to wearing one of Chuck's t-shirts to bed on nights when Chuck was over. It maybe wasn't as sexy as a negligee. But there was some wisdom in saving the negligees for special occasions. And the t-shirt could just as quickly hit the floor. "Ellie looked so happy," she said.

Chuck didn't answer for a long moment. "She was," he finally said. "She's going to ask you to be a bridesmaid." Then he was silent for a long moment. "I wish things were different. You should have been in there. It was a family moment, one that's never going to happen again. I'm sorry that you got cheated out of it."

"I know," Sarah said. "There will be other moments. Someday soon we'll be able to be open. For right now, I'm just grateful for what we do have."

They were in Sarah's newly discovered position, Chuck flat on his back with her on her side snuggled comfortably in the crook between his shoulder and neck. Sarah was amazed at how natural they already were. They could lay there silently without any need to speak to break the awkward silence. There was no awkward silence. In that way, it was like they had been a couple for years.

Finally Sarah couldn't keep it in any longer. "I let you down tonight," she said. "I'm so sorry."

Chuck heard the sadness in her voice and tried to keep it light. "Yeah," he said. "You could have found that ring a lot faster. That dumpster was pretty gross."

No sale.

"Come on, Chuck," Sarah said. "I'm being serious. They're getting closer. I wasn't prepared tonight. We were really lucky that we got out of it as easily as we did. I had no choice but to stand there and watch while Beckman ordered you hauled off to a bunker. Once she had you underground, it would have been a lot harder to get you out. That can't happen again. I've spent far too much time lately daydreaming about my life changing new sex life and not enough time doing my job. I'm sorry."

Chuck pulled her close. "This is something of a gray area," he said. "On missions you're in charge. In here, I'm in charge. So when we're in here talking about a mission, I'm not sure who is in charge."

"Chuck," Sarah said warningly.

"I'm not making fun of you," Chuck replied quickly. "But Sarah, listen to me for a second. You're being a little ridiculous. All you did tonight was kick the ass of an armed Fulcrum Agent all around that rooftop, then throw her off the rooftop and continue kicking her ass all around a dumpster. Thanks to you I'm not going to a bunker. And you're sorry? I don't get it."

Sarah didn't answer for a long time. She just snuggled. "I'm willing to fight them," she said softly.

Chuck smiled. "Who are you willing to fight?" he asked.

"Anybody I have to," Sarah said. "I'll fight Beckman. I'll fight Fulcrum. I'll fight them both together. The hell with it, bring them all on. Anybody who would try and take you away from me doesn't understand what they'll be facing. I'll fight the whole damn world if I have to."

Chuck's smile turned into a grin. "Wow," he said. "I'm starting to feel a little sorry for the whole damn world. They clearly don't understand the gravity of the predicament they find themselves in. The whole damn world against a pissed off Sarah Walker? They're hopelessly overmatched."

That finally got the laugh Chuck had been looking for.

"I let you down tonight," Sarah said. "Deny it all you want but that is simply a fact. I get that you're far too sweet to try and make me feel badly about it. But I let you down. So I got you a present to make it up to you. Sort of like the alarm clock that you got me. It might not be much but I hope you like it."

Sarah paused for a long moment to gather her courage before rising up and locking eyes with him. "I love you, Chuck," she said softly. "You deserve to hear that from me a lot more often. Before you, I'm not sure that I even believed in love. But I sure do now. It feels wonderful. So thank you for that. I'm not exactly sure about the future. Normal girl? Wife? Mother? Some of that stuff is still scary for me. I'd still appreciate some patience from you about it. But I am comfortable making you this promise. I can't imagine a future without you. So whatever happens, fifty or even a hundred years from now, just look to your right and you're going to see me standing there beside you."

Chuck took a moment to keep his voice from breaking. "Wow," he finally said. "That's the best present I've ever gotten. As long as that's true I can face anything. I hope you know that I can't see any future without you either. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or in the days ahead. All I can promise is that I'll love you for the rest of my life. I'm not a fighter. But I'll do anything you need while we're fighting the whole damn world together. You can count on me."

That completely changed the mood in the room and quickly enough their tongues were dancing. "Explain something to me," Sarah said playfully when the long kiss broke. "You're a breast man. That's already well documented. So why am I still wearing this t-shirt?"

Chuck got a little more serious. "You've had a long day," he said. "I want you to know that I'm here for you in all ways. I'm not expecting sex from you every single night that we spend in here."

Sarah looked at him like he had just spouted a third eye. "You're not?" she asked incredulously. "Are you kidding me? I think maybe you'd better start adjusting your expectations a little. I thought that I had made myself fairly clear on this point. Short fuse? Finish what you start? I mean, I'm not questioning your manhood or anything. Please don't punish me and make me beg. But is any of this discussion ringing a bell? You're in charge in here. I'm not going back on that. I'll follow whatever you decide. But just to get this on the table, I've been known to get a little cranky when I'm disappointed. Is that really what you want?"

That broke whatever tension still remained and got them both laughing helplessly.

"No ma'am," Chuck said as he reached for the hem of the t-shirt. Quickly Sarah raised her arms and it hit the floor.

"Who would want that?"

x-x-x-x-x


	5. Chuck vs The First Date

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_I should have titled this story The Deleted Scenes. That's sort of how it's working out. I'm finding that almost nothing has to change from what we saw. It just has to be explained._

_Someone has to explain the kill order to me. It was a horrible idea. Okay, so Graham and Beckman are villains. That works for me. But how could they possibly expect the viewer to ever accept Casey as a friend once we see him in Chuck's house apparently completely willing to follow his orders and kill Chuck in cold blood? And what after he shoots him? Does he leave the body lying there for Ellie to find? Wow. They never did resolve that for us. I'm going to give it a shot of how it possibly could have happened._

_I'm still doing this without a net. If this idea crashes and burns or I find myself hopelessly tied up in a knot, I'll simply stop and slink off in embarrassed silence, lol._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**Chuck vs The First Date**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck could tell that something was seriously wrong the instant that Sarah opened the door. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Well, actually there wasn't anything so unusual about that. It was more the nature of the kiss that had his senses on high alert. Her first kiss was always much more passionate, clearly designed to get them quickly into bed. This was much more soft… tender… loving.

Chuck, as was his custom, tried to keep it light. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Okay, so maybe it wasn't the perfect first date. I do have to admit that I've had worse. At least you haven't filed for a restraining order… yet. Don't worry. There will be other dates."

Sarah pulled back and took a couple of steps back. She was clearly struggling with how to tell him. "They are going to kill you," she finally said. "I talked to Graham. They ordered Casey to eliminate you as soon as the Intersect comes on line. I'm so sorry, Chuck."

Chuck just stood there for a long moment absorbing the news. "Are you sure?" he finally asked. "I can't believe that Casey would do that at this point."

"Casey follows orders," Sarah said firmly. "Yes, I'm sure. Graham told me all about it. Then I went to Casey and asked him if I had anything to worry about. The sonofabitch looked me right in the eye and promised me that you were safe. That proves that we can't trust him. We're going to have to deal with him."

Chuck looked at the floor dejectedly. "What are we going to do?" he asked numbly. "Maybe we should just stop trying to find the cipher. If the Intersect never comes on line…"

"That wouldn't work," Sarah said. "They would eventually find it some other way, or buy it on the black market, or build another one. If that happened we wouldn't know about it until it was too late. No, we have to find the cipher as soon as we possibly can and deliver it to them. That way we control things. The entire plan depends on it."

"The plan?" Chuck asked.

Finally the twinkle was back in Sarah's eyes. "I'm going to kill you before Casey can," she said playfully. "I'm better at it anyway."

Chuck saw the smile that was threatening to break out. "Wow," he said matching her playful tone. "At least tell me that you're going to use continuous sex. You're already off to a good start."

That got them laughing. "I'm afraid not," Sarah said, still laughing. "That would take too long. You've proven to be surprisingly durable in that area. No, I'm going to poison you. I don't want any bullet holes in your t-shirt. What would I wear to bed?"

Chuck did a double take. "You're in an awfully good mood considering the subject," he said. "What kind of poison are you going to use?"

"Don't worry, Chuck," Sarah said still laughing a bit. "I'm not really going to poison you. This is all Graham's idea. I'm going to give you a dose of a narcotic that the CIA commissioned some time ago. We call it PP… for Playing Possum. It slows down the person's metabolism to the point where they appear to be dead for a couple of hours. That will be enough to convince Casey that you're gone. Then I'm going to take your body to be cremated. Graham is going to give me a new fake deep cover assignment someplace really remote. When I never come back after a year or so, they'll just assume I was killed on the assignment. It happens all the time. Why would anybody even try and look for us? We'd both be officially dead. Even if anyone ever began to suspect anything, we'd have years of a head start on them. We will already have new identities and be firmly established in whatever community we chose to settle down in anyplace in the world. They would never find us."

Sarah's mood was fairly infectious. Chuck couldn't help the grin from taking over. "We're going to be together," he said. Then he got a little more serious. "Why would Graham do that for us?" he asked. "That is treason, isn't it?"

"I told you," Sarah said. "Graham and I have an understanding. I didn't even have to ask him. I just told him the truth about us. This is all his plan. It's prefect for him. He doesn't like Beckman, hardly ever agrees with her. But he also can't openly defy her. He really didn't have much choice but to agree with the termination order. This way he get's to tell Beckman what she wants to hear, do the right thing, and do me a huge favor. He made me promise that I'd check in with him every month or so via our back channels and that I'd look after you and not allow the Intersect to fall into the wrong hands. But without an update, your information is going to eventually grow stale. After a couple of years, you'd become operationally worthless. Even if they found out somehow, they'd stop caring. They are going to have their own army of Intersects anyway. Here's the best part. If you're dead, Ellie is no longer of any interest to them. Since no one would be watching we could even meet her someplace regularly. As long as we stayed away from Burbank we'd be fine. Maybe we could take a vacation with her and Devon at some resort. That might be fun."

Chuck took a long moment allowing her plan to sink in. This was perfect. They would be free to start their life together and still have Ellie in it. It was almost too good to be true. But there was still one nagging thought that he couldn't get out of his head. "Let me ask you a question," he said. "You and Graham…"

Sarah's shoulders noticeably slumped. "Not you too," she sighed sadly. "I've been listening to this crap behind my back for ten years. It's what everyone thinks. No, Chuck, I have never had sex with Graham. Happy?"

"I'm sorry," Chuck quickly said. "It's so not fair of me to get jealous. I believe you. But even if something did happen, it was years ago, right?"

Sarah didn't smile, far from it. But she did take a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "Part of having a permanent relationship is you deserve to hear about my past," she said. "I'm going to have to grow into that a little. I'd appreciate some patience from you. But I do get that I owe this story to you. So here goes. He recruited me out of high school before he was made Director. I was scared, a fish out of water at the academy. That's understatement. I had zero chance to become a spy and everyone knew it. For some reason he pitied me, took me under his wing, and got me through it. We became… well, friends isn't the right word, he never shied away from screaming at me pretty good. But we did develop a strong connection, exactly the kind of connection spies are taught not to have. We did favors for each other. I did some dirty work for him under the table getting some unruly agents back in line with his program. That's mostly how he rose through the ranks and finally became Director. It's why he is so willing to do this for me now. The other agents called me the Enforcer, never to my face mind you. They were all scared of me. And honestly, I kinda liked that. It was Carina who finally told me that it was pretty universally accepted that Graham and I were regularly screwing."

Chuck looked at the floor. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "Thank you for telling me. You're really growing. I keep underestimating you."

That actually got most of Sarah's smile back. "You don't have to be sorry," she said. "It's not a crime to be jealous. You're going to soon find out that I'm far more jealous than you are anyway. I did pose for some naked pictures for him with a couple of other lady agents once. I think he made a calendar out of them."

"Really?"

That got Sarah laughing. "Chuck, I'm teasing you," she said. "Can you see me willingly doing something like that? In the interest of full disclosure, I owed Graham a lot. There was a time in my life when I couldn't imagine telling him no, no matter what he asked for. If he had ever asked me for sex, I'd probably have decided that I owed it to him, held my nose, and given it to him. Recreational sex has never been my thing so that would have been really hard for me. Thankfully, he never did. He's pretty famous for having his dance card filled as it is."

Chuck's smile finally matched Sarah's. "As long as I get a pass on being jealous," he said playfully. "I might as well ask. Is tonight the first time you've ever put out on the first date?"

That broke the tension in the room and got them laughing helplessly again. "Getting pretty cocky, aren't we?" she asked. "I haven't put out…yet. Okay, so I'll admit… I like your chances. I want you to remember this conversation the next time, when it's me that is jealous. I have to admit, I've had better first dates." Then she finally stopped teasing and got more serious. "Yes, Chuck," she said as she stepped up and kissed him lovingly. "It is the first time. It's also going to be the last."

"How great is that?"

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah stood in the Large Mart parking lot waiting for Casey. They had just wrapped up interrogating that Colt character after the mission to rescue Chuck and reacquire the cipher. So the plan was all going to go down tonight. It was good that Casey asked her to meet. She was going to have to talk to him anyway for her plan to work. He clearly picked this spot that was outside of any surveillance. If he wanted this to be on the record, it would have happened in Castle. He obviously wanted this conversation to be off the record. And that was fine with Sarah.

Suddenly Casey was there. "I have something to tell you," he said, obviously keeping his voice low. "You deserve to know. As soon as the Intersect comes on line tonight, I've been ordered to eliminate Bartowski."

To say that Sarah was relieved was an understatement. She had just come to build some level of trust with her new partner. His going off the record to volunteer something like this was a very good sign that he thought so too.

Casey looked at her face closely. "You already knew, didn't you?"

"I already knew," Sarah admitted. "But thank you for telling me. How are you going to do it?"

"I'll shoot him," Casey said. "I'll make it look like a robbery."

Sarah shook her head. "That's pretty messy," she said. "Chuck doesn't deserve to suffer. His sister finding his body seems a little cruel. Why don't you let me do it?"

"He won't suffer," Casey said. "Give me a clear shot behind his left ear and I'll turn him off like a light switch. He'll never feel it."

"Come on, Casey," Sarah said. "You know that it doesn't always work that way. He might sneeze. Let me do it."

"Sarah," Casey said, making no effort to keep the skepticism from his voice. "Are you telling me that you could do this?"

Sarah knew that she had to be convincing. The entire plan depended on his buying this. "I'm not looking forward to it," she admitted. "It's going to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I assume you're not looking forward to it either. What choice do we have? We both knew going in that when you're assigned an asset odds are you're going to have to burn him someday. If you or I don't do it, someone else will. At least this way I can make it be humane."

"How are you going to do it?"

"I have a special drug," Sarah said. "Two drops in his drink, he'll gradually fall asleep and just never wake up. He's trying hard to romance me, is cooking me a romantic dinner tonight. We both know that he is in love with me. I'll tell him that I love him too and hold his hand until he is gone. He'll die happy."

Casey still looked skeptical. "And you'd be lying?" he asked.

"We owe him that," Sarah said firmly, ignoring his question. "Please don't make me fight you on this. This is hard enough."

Casey paused for a moment. "Okay," he sighed. "We owe him that. I'll be in the house to back you up. I'll need to examine the body."

"Agreed," Sarah said. "You can help me get the body into the car. We can't have an autopsy. His sister would be hard to fool. The agency can make up some cover story."

Casey stood and tried hard to gather his composure. "He's a good kid," he said sadly. "He did everything we ever asked to the best of his ability. He doesn't deserve this. I tried to talk them out of it."

Sarah knew that she had to keep up the stone cold heartless agent act for a little longer. But inside, her heart was soaring. Not only had the plan worked perfectly, Casey had just admitted that he cared for Chuck. That was almost as good. Too bad they would never see him again. "I know," she said. "So did I."

"Sometimes this job is just too hard."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was pretty much on cloud nine. This was finally going to be over. No more hiding their feelings. No more stealing whatever time together they could find. No more fake, real, fake, real complicated relationship. And even though he knew they were never going to eat it, he was making his special pepperoni chicken for his very special girl.

He could tell something was horribly wrong as soon as he answered the door.

"Chuck," Sarah said.

"What is it?"

"We have to call off the date," Sarah said. "The Intersect was destroyed."

"What… but the cipher…"

"It was a Trojan Horse," Sarah said. "A sabotaged device. The moment it came on line, it exploded."

"But that means…"

"You're still the only Intersect," Sarah finished his sentence. "I'm sorry."

Chuck knew that she was telling him far more than that. The look on her face was just as devastated. The plan was now on hold. They had just lost their best chance to be free.

"Come over after you clean up," Sarah said with a sigh looking directly into the camera. "We still have to protect our cover."

All Chuck could do was to nod numbly. She had just slipped back into handler mode. There was no cover reason to have a romantic dinner with nobody there to see it. Agent Walker was back to showing Beckman that she was willing to rule her asset with an iron fist. All of the hope of being open had just been dashed… for now anyway.

"I'm going to be the Intersect forever."

x-x-x-x-x


	6. Chuck vs The Seduction

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_There is a rather significant picture in Chuck lore. It shows Chuck behind Sarah, arms wrapped around her waist as their faces touch lovingly, both grinning ear to ear. It clearly shows two people in love. It's a great, great image. TPTB must think so too. They made it Sarah's favorite picture, used it prominently twice. Sarah threw a pencil into it in Cougars. The very fact that it was on her nightstand in her private residence, a place where protecting the cover really wasn't in play, is very telling of Sarah's true feelings at the time. In Suitcase, Chuck found it in Sarah's suitcase and she admitted that she always carried it with her no matter where she went. It made her feel comfortable, safe._

_Here is the thing. That picture must have been taken early during this episode. It is clearly on the trip they took to Palm Springs to find Roan. Both Chuck and Sarah are wearing the same clothes as they were when they found Roan passed out by his bed. And since we've never seen Sarah in the same outfit twice, well you do the math._

_Here is my question. Who took that picture? Casey was with them on that assignment. Would he take that picture of them looking like a loving couple? Why? They never used it for any cover reason. Sarah had just told Chuck five minutes (in screen time) ago that they couldn't be together. Talk about mixed signals, lol._

_The truth is that this picture fits in better with my scenario than what the show was trying to tell us at the time. It's the 'smoking gun' as it were. In fact most of this episode fits in with that theory. You'll soon see that almost nothing has to change._

_I've said this often, but depending on what day you asked me, this might be my favorite episode of the series. If not for the last ten seconds it would undoubtedly be my favorite. Definitely the scene when Roan asks Chuck if she is worth dying for… and he say 'yes' is my very, very favorite. This episode aired coming up on six years ago. But that scene still gives me goose bumps. Re-watching that scene got me through season three._

_I'm still doing this without a net. If this idea crashes and burns or I find myself hopelessly tired up in a knot, I'll stop and slink off in embarrassed silence, lol._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**Chuck vs The Seduction**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck could tell the very instant he entered the room that Sarah had been very recently crying. He could also tell that she was desperately trying to hide it from him. He pretended to not notice. Calling her on it would just make her close down. He knew that she would quickly tell him what was wrong in her own way. So he just gently rubbed her back as she snuggled into him.

It didn't take long at all for Chuck to be proven right. "Graham's dead," she finally said softly. Her voice was so muted by her face being so firmly pressed into his shirt that Chuck had to strain to hear her. "He was killed in the explosion."

Chuck pulled her even closer. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know that you were close. Do you want to talk about it?"

Sarah pulled back a step so she could look at him. Her guy was looking out for her. How sweet was that? She tried to smile at him. She really did. She quickly found that she just couldn't pull it off. "I'm sad that he's dead," Sarah said. "Of course I am. We really shared a connection. But for right now I'm more worried about us. This really hurts us."

Chuck could do nothing but stand there and watch her struggle unsuccessfully to maintain her composure. But soon her upper lip began to quiver. Not wanting Chuck to see her cry, she collapsed into his open arms and buried her face in his shirt once again. "It would have worked," she said. "We were so close to having it all."

It was an odd situation. Sarah was clearly trying to hide the sobs but he could plainly feel them. On the one hand, Chuck couldn't imagine a worse feeling than watching Sarah cry, no matter what the reason, mostly because he knew how badly she fought against it. But on the other hand, she was clearly devastated because they would have to wait for a while longer to be openly together. It was proof positive that she wanted this as badly as he did. So try as he might, Chuck just couldn't make himself feel bad. "Come on, Sarah," he said. "There will be other chances. We'll try again."

Sarah finally gained enough composure to step back and look at him. "You don't understand," she said. "This really hurts us. Even if we could try again, Graham was going to assign me to a fake assignment. Beckman would assign me to a real one. If I didn't show up, it would set off red flags right away. And it's not only the plan. Graham would tell me what Beckman was thinking. Now we'll have no clue. Beckman is going to go out of her way to prove to me that she is boss. Without Graham to protect me…"

Chuck noticed her awkward pause. "Is she going to give you a seduction assignment?" he asked sadly.

"I doubt that," Sarah said. "It's possible. But she knows that I'd tell her to go to hell. That's a line in the sand that I drew years ago. But she's almost assuredly going to try something to make her point. That's pretty much a given. We're really going to have to go on the offensive to show her that I'm not compromised."

"Such as?"

"I can think of a couple possibilities," Sarah said. "First, we're going to have to show her that we're not really dating. You're going to have to ask me out on another real date someplace where they are watching. I'm going to have to shoot you down pretty briskly, so be ready for that."

"Okay," Chuck said. "I can do that."

"There's more," Sarah said. "We need to reinforce to Beckman that I'm the only one who can honestly control you. It's the main thing we still have going for us. So you'll need to pick a time, object to an assignment, and go stomping off. I'll catch you someplace where they'll be watching and talk you into it."

Chuck smiled. "You're really pulling out all the stops," he said. "I think that I know exactly how you can talk me into it."

That didn't get the laugh Chuck was expecting. In fact, Sarah didn't say anything for a long time. "I know you were joking," she finally said. "I get that. I'm not trying to make you feel bad about it. Here's the thing. I'm not really in a position where I can joke about that. I probably never will be. You've never had sex with Agent Walker. You've made love with Sarah. It's important that you understand the difference. Agent Walker would often flirt with her mark. She makes no apologies for that. It was one of her main weapons. That's what she would use to control him. She might even hint that sex might happen someday… if he behaved. Of course she would never pay off. You've seen all of this before. But I never wanted to show you that weapon of Agent Walker aimed at you. So that's going to be hard for me."

Chuck reached out and pulled her close. "I was joking," he said. "You're right. I was insensitive. I'm sorry. But please don't worry about it. I get that we're just playing a role."

"We're going to have to be extra careful," Sarah said. "Without Graham, we're flying blind. Now our only weapon is that we're effective as a team. If we lose that, we're dead."

"I'm ready to fight," Chuck said.

That got a bit of a smile. "Who are you going to fight?" Sarah asked.

"I'll fight Beckman," Chuck said mimicking her words of just a few nights ago. "I'll fight Fulcrum. I'll fight them both together. The hell with it. Bring them all on. I may have different weapons than you. I seriously doubt me flirting with anyone would impress them. But make no mistake. Anybody who would try and take you away from me… I'll fight the whole damn world if I have too."

That completely changed the mood in the room and Sarah was now grinning. "That's pretty sweet," she said as she reached up and kissed him lovingly. "I'm not sure if you knew this, or it was just a lucky guess. But fights turn me on."

"From where I'm standing that's not so impressive," Chuck teased. "It seems like almost everything turns you on."

That got them hopelessly laughing. "Guilty," Sarah said. "When it comes to you, I find that my motor is pretty much always running close to the red line. I'm trying hard to be patient and let you take the lead like we agreed. I have to tell you, patience is not one of my strengths. I'm sorta on fire."

"We'd better put out that fire," Chuck said as he took a step back and very deliberately began to unbutton her blouse. "This is a non smoking room. You'll lose your deposit."

Sarah had to admit, this feeling surprised her. She was used to taking control, was far more apt to tear clothes off as quickly as possible and get down to the actual sex. But Chuck was different. With him the preparations were electric, just as exciting as the actual sex. So she forced herself to stand there and allow Chuck to take his time. She moved her arms out of the way and allowed him full access as he methodically made article after article of clothing hit the floor. It was beyond exciting. By the time he had her naked, her knees were so weak that she could barely stand. Fortunately, standing wasn't in Chuck's immediate plan anyway. He quickly scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

"It looks like it's you and me against the world."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat in front of her computer numbly. This situation was unraveling right before her eyes.

It was bad enough that she got so caught up in that one stupid kiss. It was the kind of mistake that Agent Walker was never supposed to make. Her retreat to 'fix her lipstick' had been too little, too late. Now Roan Montgomery knew the truth about them. Not only that, he was gloating about it. And as hard as she worked to convince him that he was wrong, with Chuck forced to listen to every word on comm., he clearly wasn't buying it.

That wasn't even the worst part. She allowed herself and her partner to be captured, leaving their asset to fend for himself. That was professionally completely unacceptable. She would have no choice but to stand there with Casey and take the severe dressing down that only Beckman could deliver. But then the sweet moron makes it even worse. He decides to jump off the top of a building wrapped only in a banner. Okay, he did it to save her life. Sure, it was the bravest thing she had ever witnessed. And yes, the fuzziness in her stomach just thinking about it was impossible to deny. But hadn't she made it clear to him that she wasn't equipped to go to his funeral? It was most definitely a discussion they would be having later.

Then the absolute topper to a bad situation… Bryce shows up. And wouldn't you know it, five minutes later Chuck shows up with the white jacket, bottle of wine, and rose. She could see the look on his face when he saw Bryce standing there. She had been placed in the proverbial spot between a rock and a hard place. It was heartbreaking to not be able to explain things to Chuck. Not only that, Bryce was clearly suspicious.

Bryce finding out the truth would be fatal. Roan probably wouldn't say anything. He was clearly rooting for them. Bryce would most definitely rat her out, if for no other reason than to get her reassigned… to him. That meant running, with all of the horrible personal consequences that came along for the ride.

She was going to have to find some way to tell Bryce that they were over without tipping him off. At the very least, he was going to have to stop showing up at her hotel room unannounced. Not only were his expectations of being asked to spend the night unreasonable, a large percentage of the time he would have found Chuck and her there naked. That would be impossible to explain. She was also going to have to spend some time getting Chuck over the scene he was almost assuredly currently assuming of her and Bryce naked rolling around in bed. Bryce was a sore spot with him.

Both tasks were going to be huge challenges. Bryce didn't take hints well. The boy was a classic narcissist. Bryce and Chuck were polar opposites. Bryce was so arrogant that he couldn't imagine a woman not falling for him. If one denied it, she was either a lesbian or just afraid of the truth. Conversely Chuck was so insecure that he couldn't imagine a woman actually falling for him, was always looking for the other shoe to drop.

It was clear, Chuck's jealousy of Bryce would always be there, an inch under the surface. It was hard to fault him for that. As much as she was willing to cut him some slack, his fear was disappointing. If he only knew… if he knew how strongly she felt about him, he'd be embarrassed about being jealous. Words weren't her strength. She would have to find another way to tell him. But not tonight. Going over there tonight would be far too risky.

When her laptop announced a new email from Casey, titled 'Thought You Should Know', Sarah was afraid to open it. Her other shoe was most likely about to drop… right on her head. Could this night possibly get any worse? The attachment was clearly from one of the surveillance feeds. She recognized the courtyard right away. Chuck was in his seduction outfit. She didn't have to look at the timestamp to know, this was obviously last night.

_You know, she's going to kill them._

_Well, I guess that I'm just going to have to take my chances. But I can't save them alone. I need your help, Roan._

_They knew what they were getting into. That's the game we play. You show up and they'll be three dead agents instead of just two._

_What? So that's… that's it? Whatever happened to being the world's greatest spy?_

_That was a long time ago. Roan Montgomery is not the man you see before you. My life may be boring and cowardly… but I'm alive. That's more than most in my line of work can claim._

_But you're a legend, Roan. Don't you understand that? So how can you just sit there and watch them die?_

_Because I'm not in love with one of the agents._

_I'm not… I care about them. I care about both of them. Besides, we heard what she said. Okay? To her I'm just an asset."_

_No… you're not. Trust me. The lady doth protest too much. But Charles, you have to ask yourself, is she worth dying for?_

_Yes._

_Poor boy. Lesson #1 in being a spy. Never… fall… in… love._

_Well then I guess I'm not much of a spy. And you're not much of a legend._

Sarah was having a lousy night… until now. Suddenly that turned completely around. She had to grab the desk to keep from floating away. She knew that Chuck loved her. She probably even knew that the bravest man she had ever known was willing to die for her, probably far too willing. That was a conversation that they were definitely going to have. But to hear him say it so plainly to someone else… wow. When you had that going for you, what else really mattered? Even though she knew that Beckman probably saw that entire exchange and she might have some damage control to do, she also instantly knew that she had to see him tonight. She simply couldn't let him spend a whole night assuming the worst about Bryce. Maybe she could take him a pizza. That would be consistent with their cover. Her eyes were so filled with happy tears that she almost missed the message in the body of Casey's email. It was almost as good.

_You could probably do worse._

x-x-x-x-x

"Walk me to my car?"

It had been a nice dinner, maybe a little too romantic for the scene. It would have been even more romantic if Morgan hadn't shown up and pretended that he had been somehow invited to join them. That was classic clueless Morgan. But in this case it was probably for the best. They were sitting in the courtyard directly in front of one of the cameras. Morgan being there probably kept her from blurting out something stupid, like I love you. But the look that Sarah shot him… well even Morgan figured out that following them to her car would mean his losing a testicle in a grotesquely painful way.

"Is Bryce spending the night at your place?"

Sarah didn't answer. She just reached down and grabbed Chuck's hand.

"Damn," Chuck cried in pain. "That hurts. I'm sorry for being jealous."

The soft smile never left Sarah's face. "This is not about you being jealous," she said. "Not this time. This is about me being jealous. You kissed her… right in front of me."

Chuck rubbed his finger where Sarah had twisted it vigorously. "In all fairness," he said. "She kissed me."

Sarah's smile turned sly. "That's why I quickly let go," she said. "If you're expecting fairness in this area, I'm afraid that you maybe need to temper your expectations a little. Let's get something on the table. I'm willing to tolerate some jealousy from you about Bryce. In fact, ask me that again tomorrow just before the briefing. It will be good for Beckman to hear me tell you that it's none of your damn business. I also expect that you're going to tolerate some jealousy from me time to time. But please… please never ask me again if I'm about to spend the night in bed with another man. The resulting fight will make World War II look like a border skirmish. Chuck, do you honestly question that at this point?"

"I'm being ridiculous," Chuck sighed. "It was insulting. I'm very, very sorry. Please don't get mad."

"I'm not mad," Sarah quickly said. "For future reference, there usually isn't much ambiguity involved when wondering if I'm mad. I'm just saying that next time it happens, I'll be mad. While we're on the subject, you owe me a Montgomery."

"Something tells me that you've been the recipient a time or two," Chuck said.

"A few times," Sarah admitted with a grin. "It's a famous move in spy circles. The men think it has some magic power. The Chateau Margeau isn't my favorite. I'd trade the rose for a gardenia. The white dinner jacket, well that's just ridiculous."

Chuck matched her grin. "Something tells me that you're pretty immune to that sort of thing," he said.

That got them laughing. "You're right," Sarah said as she opened her car door. "A clichéd seduction move like that would be the very last thing that would ever work on getting me in bed. It pisses me off, makes me enjoy laughing at them. Except…"

"Except?" Chuck asked.

"Except for loveable nerds who I am head over heals in love with," Sarah said as she kissed him goodbye. "For them, it is guaranteed. It would give them even more upper hand than they already had. I'd be a quivering mess, quickly naked, totally helpless except to follow their lead."

"I'm expecting you to prove that in the very near future."

x-x-x-x-x


	7. Chuck vs The Breakup

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_This episode is going to be a little short and sweet. Absolutely nothing has to change from what we saw._

_I get on the writers for too much wt/wt. No, really, I do. But I also recognize that some tension is necessary. Everything being sunshine and roses for Chuck and Sarah would be nice for a while. But it would also quickly get boring. I get that._

_I'm still doing this without a net. If this idea crashes and burns or I find myself hopelessly tired up in a knot, I'll stop and slink off in embarrassed silence, lol._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**Chuck vs The Breakup**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was waiting on one of her numerous teenaged boy customers when she noticed him come in through the door. The teenagers were there every day after school. They were harmless but fairly predictable. They were clearly far more interested in checking out her more than ample cleavage on clear display from the ridiculous outfit she was forced to wear every day than they were in a tasty frozen yogurt treat. They always ordered some toppings low in the case to make her bend over. It was almost always more cute than it was annoying. It was not totally unheard of that Sarah would playfully tease one of her not so secret admirers by pretending to have a problem and intentionally give him an extra long look. The wide eyed look on his face when she flashed that shy smile pretty much always struck her as funny as he invariably rushed outside to brag to his buddies.

Not today. She was in no mood for starring in a teenage boy's fantasy today. At first she pretended she couldn't see him and refused to look his way. But that would be silly. It would even be unprofessional. So she sighed and turned to face him. "Hi," she said with as much smile as she could muster.

"Hi," Chuck replied. "How are you doing?"

For a second anyway, professionalism took a back seat as she saw pure red. "How am I doing?" she asked sarcastically. "Really, Chuck? You break my heart into a million pieces, tell me that I'll never be normal enough for you, and then you ask me how I'm doing? I thought we were going somewhere."

Chuck's shoulders noticeably sagged. "I'm sorry," he said. "You know that I am. But let's be honest. Bryce is right. Your having feelings is going to get us both killed. We're just going to have to be all business. Besides, let's face it. You belong with someone like Bryce. He was right about that too."

"Okay," Sarah sighed. "Let's not dredge that all up again. The first time was hard enough. I get it. That doesn't mean that I have to be happy about it. So why are you here?"

"I just wanted to remind you that we're supposed to go to Vegas with Ellie and Devon this weekend to celebrate their engagement," Chuck said. "Do you want us to pick you up? Or do you want us to drive separate?"

"Great," Sarah sighed. "Just what I need."

Chuck looked at her. "Do you want me to cancel?" he asked. "This will be hard for us. I can make up some story. Maybe a relapse of your spastic colon."

Sarah shook her head. "We can't cancel," she said. "It would raise too many red flags. We still have a cover to protect. We'll just have to get thought it. I'll come to your place and we can all ride together."

"Okay," Chuck said sadly.

"Chuck," Sarah said. "I know this is hard. Things are tense between us. I get that. But we're going to have to look like a couple in front of Ellie this weekend. And when we get back, you're going to have to start spending the night at my place again."

"I know," Chuck said. "We'll get through it. But…"

"This is very hard."

x-x-x-x-x

It was a three hour drive to Las Vegas. For Sarah it seemed like a lot longer. Sitting in that back seat with him was pure torture. But they were finally here. After checking into their rooms, the two couples agreed to meet for dinner. Chuck and Sarah had a couple of hours to kill waiting for Ellie and Devon to finish… well that's as far as they wanted to go. Sarah certainly didn't want to be stuck in that hotel room with him for rather obvious reasons. So they were sitting on a bench waiting for their reservation.

"I'm surprised that Ellie wanted to come to Vegas," Sarah said, trying hard to make conversation to avoid the four hundred pound gorilla standing there staring at them. "Feeding her hard earned money into a slot machine doesn't seem like her thing."

Chuck was willing to play. "It's not her thing," he admitted. "Not even a little bit. She hates Vegas. When she calls it 'sin city' it's not a term of endearment. I might have had something to do with talking her into it. We needed to get away for a couple of days. Did Beckman say anything?"

Suddenly the game was over. Sarah snuggled into his side. "I knew it," she said. "You are such a genius. We need to play poker sometime. You can't hide anything from me. She called me personally and gave me a twenty minute lecture about how important this was to our cover."

"Do you think it worked?"

"Did it work?" Sarah asked with a laugh. "Chuck, it was brilliant. Tell them exactly what they were assuming anyway, and then tragically break up right in front of them. Beckman actually called me to make sure that I was okay. It was the first time I've ever seen her so human. Two personal calls in the same week… I think that's a first for her."

"I wish we didn't have to do it," Chuck said. "It was hard."

Sarah reached up to give him a short peck. "I know, sweetie," she said. "But with everything that happened with Roan and Bryce, they were on to us. We had to do something. You were brilliant, by the way. I actually thought for a second that you were really breaking up with me. It felt awful. The tears I was blinking away weren't all fake."

"That's why it was so hard," Chuck said. "Hopefully they won't be looking at us so hard now."

"We still have to be careful," Sarah cautioned. "More than ever. Beckman would still love nothing better than to get some leverage on me. We were lucky this time. Bryce could have been big trouble for us. But I do think we've bought some time."

"He still thinks that you love him," Chuck sighed.

That got a smile. "Here's the deal," Sarah said playfully. "Bryce thinks that every woman is in love with him. It's his defining characteristic."

"More often than not he's right," Chuck teased. "Bryce always gets the great girls."

That didn't get the laugh he expected. "When are you going to start believing that you have it all over Bryce?" Sarah asked.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Chuck said. "But come on. I saw you dancing with him. You looked like the perfect romantic couple. Heroic super spy? Smooth talking, comfortable with women, boyish grin? How can you say that?"

Now all trace of a smile was gone. "Because it's absolutely true," Sarah insisted firmly. "In the first place, the dancing was a mission. You know that. We've talked about how that sometimes would be necessary. I was thinking of nothing except completing my assignment. You call him a heroic super spy? Okay, I get what you mean. But Bryce only does what he's been trained to do. You do what needs to be done. There's a huge difference. And you do it even when you have no clue how. You figure it out as you go. It's much more impressive. You're the bravest man I've ever met. You have it all over him."

Sarah saw his skeptical look. "Smooth talking, comfortable with women, boyish grin?" she continued. "Okay, maybe when you first meet him. But after you've known him for a while, you find out that it's all an act designed to sweet talk you into bed and once you're there into doing what he wants. I'll not deny that he is good at that. I'll even admit that in the beginning I've fallen for it a couple of times. But you have it all over him. You are a real person. There's not a fake bone in your body. You've never once tried to manipulate me into doing what you want. In fact, you constantly set aside what you want to look out for what I want. That's you in a nutshell. The irony, what Bryce could learn from you, is that this makes me eager to give you anything you'd want, to figure out what you want and give it to you before you have to ask. If that is a tactic, it's pure genius. But it's not a tactic. You care for people, always look for the good in them. Chuck, I'm not trying to cheer you up. I'm just telling you the truth. You have it all over Bryce in every way one can imagine… and he knows it. That's why he is so jealous of you. That's a big reason why I'm so head over heels in love with you. I'm going to have to hear you admit that someday."

There was no way for Chuck to object to the earnestness on Sarah's face. "I'd like to tell Ellie the truth," he said, more to change the increasingly awkward subject than anything.

"Wow, Chuck," Sarah said. "I don't know about that."

"Me going to a bunker, us possibly running," Chuck reasoned. "With all of that, we need to prepare her for the possibility of me disappearing. Not doing that and allowing her to think that I'm dead seems cruel."

"Let me think about it, okay?" Sarah asked. "I understand what you're saying. She could also be a good ally for us. But there is also another side to that. Knowing the truth makes her less safe. If they think she knows something, they'll stop at nothing to get it out of her. If she doesn't know, she can't give it up. Speaking of giving it up, what was the deal in the car? I thought you were shy. I mean, I get that we're supposed to be selling Ellie that we're a physical couple. But your hands were everywhere. You were purposely torturing me. I was biting my lip to keep from moaning. I thought we were never going to get here."

"Hey," Chuck protested. "It's your own fault. You know that I'm a breast man. You said that I could grope you whenever I wanted. The blanket was hiding most everything. And the way your blouse was buttoned, it was screaming 'slide you hand inside here.' It would have been unnatural not to. And the pants, well that was just a crime of opportunity. They're called stretch pants for a reason. If I remember correctly, you weren't making any attempt to stop me. Besides, if it was torture, it was pretty ineffective. Once we got here, you still shot me down. Whatever happened to finish what you start?"

That got them both laughing. "You know why," Sarah said. "That was a one time rejection. We talked about it. That's why we had to get out of that room. My resolve to save myself was fading fast."

"Chuck, Sarah. We're ready for you."

Chuck turned to her with a grin. "Last chance to back out," he said as he stood and pulled her to her feet. "My being jealous of Bryce is childish. I get that. So you don't have to do this for me. It's kinda like getting a tattoo. Once you get it, it's forever."

Sarah slapped him on the chest playfully. "Will you stop?" she asked. "I'm not doing this for you. I want this more than you do. It's not about Bryce at all. In fact can we please stop talking about Bryce? If this makes you feel more secure about him that's just an added side benefit. This is all about us. We sacrifice far too much. You were right last month. We need to fight for each other and for every single thing that we can have together. No regrets, no living in fear, holding nothing back. Besides, if you remember, this particular tramp stamp was my idea."

"You're really growing," Chuck said. "I'm so impressed. Let's do this. And please never say the words 'tramp stamp' again."

That got them laughing as they followed the official holding hands. It perhaps wasn't the most romantic ceremony. In Vegas they got to the point quickly. If anything, he looked a little bored. "Sarah," he said. "Do you take Chuck to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do you part?"

Sarah shot a soft grin at Chuck. "I do," she said.

"Chuck," the man said. "Do you take Sarah to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do you part?"

Chuck was maybe a little more nervous. But he gave the correct response… in pure Chuck fashion. "Oh I most definitely do," he said.

"By the authority granted to me by the State of Nevada, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

"Well, Mrs. Bartowski," Chuck teased as soon as the long kiss broke. "That all seemed a little anticlimactic somehow, especially for seventy bucks. It seemed all too easy. I wonder how you get a job like that."

Chuck had never seen the relaxed look of pure contentment that was currently on Sarah's face. "Easy?" she questioned with a grin. "Mr. Walker, do I really have to remind you that this is our wedding night? Why do you think that I've been saving myself for the past week? I'm the bride here. You disappoint me. You may have the upper hand in our relationship the majority of the time. But this is probably the only honeymoon we're going to get for a while. After we have dinner with Ellie and Devon, for the rest of the weekend according to the State of Nevada, your ass is officially mine. You probably should have thought this through a little before you said I do. Now you're trapped. You're legally obligated to give me kinky sex in whatever way I choose pretty much on demand. Trust me."

"It's going to be anything but easy."

x-x-x-x-x

"I can't believe we're actually married."

Chuck sat her down after carrying her across the threshold. It was one of the few marriage traditions that they weren't forced to be cheated out of. He was frankly a little surprised. Since her speech, he expected Sarah to rush through dinner and drag him up here. Not that would have been a disappointment in any way. But it couldn't have farther from the case.

Sarah was actually giddy. And she clearly was taking full advantage of the situation to get to know her new sister-in-law better. That effort was not lost on Ellie. The truth was they were both giddy. The connection they had already made was obvious. In fact, they were giggling like silly schoolgirls, often laughing so hard that they were forced to lean on each other to avoid falling. So when Ellie suggested that they go dancing for a bit, well Sarah was all over that idea. If Sarah Walker was a wild thing on the dance floor, Sarah Bartowski was an incredible blur of pure sexy. Her grin lit up the room. Even normally clueless about such things, Devon noticed.

Sarah glanced over at the bottle of her favorite champagne chilling on the table. Next to it was a vase filled with beautiful gardenias. "It looks like someone has done their homework," she said approvingly.

"Hey," Chuck protested in faux offense. "I may not be Bryce Larkin, but the kid's got a few moves. Do you really think that I wouldn't come prepared for our wedding night?"

"I thought we agreed that we weren't going to talk about Bryce anymore this weekend," Sarah said over her shoulder as she disappeared into the bathroom.

"Sorry," he said with a faux pout. "Maybe we should talk about you teasing poor teenage boys in your low cut yogurt uniform."

Sarah knew that he was teasing. She did. But her face turned bright red anyway. "How did you know about that?" she asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Chuck asked. "They're always hanging around the front of the store bragging about who got the best look down the 'incredibly hot blonde's' top. Not to boast or anything, but this is one non video game area where I think I'm in first place."

"What's it going to take to get you to stop teasing me about it?" Sarah asked. "It's a little creepy. Now that I'm married, I'm afraid that the boys are back on their own. I'll tell you what. I'll answer a question about my past to make it up to you."

"I don't know," Chuck replied in mock seriousness. "Remember, that's one place where you can't act like you're married. It would probably help to fool Beckman if you upped the ante a bit. Maybe lose the bra once and see what happens. It would make her boyfriend the god of a group of boys. And that's not even the creepy part. Those poor guys. Imagine what they're doing at home all alone in bed just thinking about you."

She still knew he was teasing. But she also knew that he had just dropped the big one. "Eww," Sarah called. "That's gross. Okay two questions. I'll honestly answer any two questions you have. Please?"

Chuck pressed his advantage. "I feel a little like Bryce," he teased. "Bartering over something like this on our wedding night. It might be considered a little manipulative, don't you think?"

"Three?"

"Let's face some facts," Chuck said playfully. "I could demand ten and you'd have no choice but to agree. But this is our wedding night. So I'm thinking five is fair. Whenever I choose. Nothing off the table. And we could probably end this discussion right here."

"Done," Sarah said gratefully. "I think that you're right about Ellie," she said, more to change the subject. "It's only fair to tell her. She deserves that. And she can help us."

"Okay," Chuck said. "I have to play golf with Devon in the morning. It was his price for helping to talk Ellie into this trip. Maybe I can tell her later."

"Chuck?" Sarah asked. "Would it be okay if I told her? I think that she might take it a little better coming from me. And it would be good for us. Maybe we can use this to get a little closer. Will she be pissed at missing seeing us get married?"

Chuck started to respond. He had his mouth open to respond. It was just that no words were coming out. Sarah had stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a red number. Well, 'dressed' might not be the best word. It hid nothing. In fact it highlighted the fact that she was naked more than if she had actually been naked. She had clearly taken a moment to make sure her hair and makeup were perfect. The kicker that this was a presentation designed exactly for this moment was the high heels.

Sarah's cat ate the canary grin lit up the room. "What?" she asked. "Do you really think that I wouldn't come prepared for our wedding night?"

Chuck finally found his voice. Well, a little. "That's incredible," he said, his voice little more than a whisper. "You look like an angel."

Sarah sauntered towards him, stopped at about half way, and allowed him to enjoy the view as she posed for him. "Trust me," she said. "The things that I have planned for tonight, no angel would ever do. Let's face some facts. About those questions you want me to answer. I could stand here while we renegotiate. I could demand zero and you'd have no choice but to agree. But this is our wedding night. I think that two is fair. Don't you?"

Chuck was wrong a minute ago. Sarah had just snatched victory from the very jaws of defeat. You had to admire that. Besides, it was a wise man who knew when he was overmatched. "Two is more than fair," he said. "Thank you."

They just stood there grinning at each other for a long moment. Finally Sarah closed the gap between them, gently pushed him onto the bed and playfully sat on his lap. "Just for the record," she said with a grin. "You were teasing about me losing my bra with the teenagers."

That got Chuck laughing. "Yes, Sarah," he said. "I was most definitely teasing."

"Good," Sarah said. "You were starting to sound like Bryce. I know that you don't want that."

"I thought we agreed to not talk about Bryce?" Chuck teased.

"Good point," Sarah said as she leaned in for a kiss. Then she got a little more serious. "You're getting cheated out of so many things that a husband deserves," she said once that first long kiss broke. "Not the least of, I'm not exactly perfect wife material. I get that. There's nothing I can do about that right now. But understand something. I'm going to be trying my very, very best for you."

Chuck nodded. "Maybe we should make a deal," he said. "I'm jealous of Bryce. That's well documented. Mainly because if we went after the same random woman, he'd win 99% of the time. That's just a fact. But I just realized we're not going after some random woman. You've chosen me. And I trust you. It's time for me to prove that, quit doubting you, and act like I believe it. So I'm going to put my jealousy aside."

"Thank you."

"Likewise you think you're not perfect wife material,' Chuck continued. "I understand what you're saying. But you also have to understand all that should matter to you is what I think. And Sarah, I think you're perfect. There is not a single thing I would change about you. Maybe it's time you quit doubting me and believe that."

"I'm not close to being perfect," Sarah protested. "Come on, Chuck. Yes, I get that you're being sweet. But be reasonable. I'm about as far away from perfect as one can imagine."

"You're not listening," Chuck insisted. "To me you are perfect. Your imperfections are exactly what make you perfect. I'm looking forward to growing with you over the coming years more than I could ever express. Do we have a deal?"

Sarah smiled. From another man that would have been a steaming pile designed to get her to quit talking and assume her required position flat on her back. Not Chuck. He meant it. She had never felt closer to him. "Nice save," she said. "And you think that you're not a smooth talker. Yes, we have a deal. But let's get this on the table. I love you. Before I met you, I didn't know what that meant. Now I'm so excited about starting our life together that I can't complete a proper sentence. This is going to be hard for a while. Things are out of our control. I get that. I just want you to know that whatever I can give you, ever, in bed or out, all you have to do is let me know and it's yours."

"The same goes for you," he said. "I love you just as much. You do know that, right?"

"I do," Sarah said.

Chuck placed both hands on her face and gently kissed her.

Quickly Sarah put her hands behind his head and escalated the kissing until it was as white hot and heavy as they had ever gone before. "You're in charge," Sarah whispered, the desire plain in her voice. "We have all night. I get that."

"But could we now possibly see some of those moves the kid's so proud of?"

x-x-x-x-x


	8. Chuck vs The Cougars

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_I wrote a story called Negotiation that was set in about this same period where C/S were secretly married. Except in that story, Sarah found out she was pregnant and they ran. I don't think that works here. And actually, I'm not sure how far I can take this concept. The Jill arc just doesn't work. It felt awkward, even in the show, like it was out of place from where they were just before and just after. It felt like those three episodes were inserted in the middle of the story… and maybe they were. In any event, for this story certainly Chuck can't have sex with Jill. So at least that would have to change._

_I would like to get to DeLorean and Santa Claus. I'm not sure I remember enough about 3D to write it. I think I was too busy yawning. Don't get me started on the huge opportunity wasted with a guarantied massive audience, sigh. I would like to get to the Cole arc. I do think I'd like to tell that story. Beckman finally orders Sarah into the seduction mission they knew was coming but had been dreading. Then there's old Agent Walker's admiration of a great spy vs Sarah's new husband whom she honestly adores to explore._

_There is one thing that really bothers me about this episode. Chuck is in Sarah's hotel room trying to get her to give him details about her past under the guise of preparing for the upcoming assignment. She is clearly not buying it. Really, Chuck? Do you not see that this lethal killing machine is getting very, very, very pissed at you? Are you really that clueless? Do you have a death wish? Clueless Chuck is one of my least favorite things about the show._

_I'm trying to change as little as possible of what we saw on the screen. But now that they're married (you did catch that in the last chapter, right?) I do think that scene has to change just a bit. We'll start there._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**Chuck vs The Cougars**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck looked at the pencil sticking out of the picture where Sarah had just thrown it out of frustration. His first reaction was… wow. Who could throw a pencil into a glass picture frame so hard that it stuck there? But that was his Sarah in a nutshell. There was seemingly no limit to what she could do physically. Casey was twice her size and more. Yet if they were to fight, there was no question but that Sarah would easily win. She was as impressive as anyone he could even imagine.

Emotionally… not so much.

The girl had built protective walls equally as impressive as anyone he could imagine. It simply broke his heart to see her struggle. And wasn't his job as husband to help her through those issues? They had already made some good progress. And, okay. Sure, his efforts weren't entirely altruistic. He was dying to know some things about her past. After all, wasn't that what being married meant? That you would get closer and help each other through their issues?

But first he had to calm her down. "Sarah," he said with the smile that he knew melted her heart. Maybe it wasn't fair. But she said it herself just last week. Wives didn't always have to be fair. Hopefully that applied to husbands as well.

Apparently not… or if it did clearly not always.

"It's not going to work this time," Sarah interrupted hotly. "Yeah I know that you think you can flash that smile at me and get out of pretty much anything. Well, not this time. You wanted to see me pissed?" She took her right index finger and pointed it at her face. "Well, take a good look. This is me pissed. Chuck, I've never been this pissed at you. Be careful what you wish for."

Chuck was so stunned at her tirade that all he could do was stand there and stare sadly at her.

Again, no sale.

"Oh here it comes," Sarah said sarcastically. "The predictable puppy dog eyes… not going to work. In fact trying it pisses me off even more." She clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly as she stood there with nostrils flaring. "You know damn well how hard it is for me to talk about my past," she continued her rant. "I've agreed to work hard at it… and I have. I've already gone a hundred miles out of my comfort zone for you. I still will. That was our deal. I'm your wife. But for you to go around my back and try and learn things about me… I can't tell you how unacceptable that is. For you to show so little faith in me. Chuck, I'm speechless. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Chuck knew that she was far more pissed than he had assumed. "Sarah," he began.

"You know what?" Sarah interrupted. "The hell with it. Save it. I'm really not interested in anything you currently have to say. In fact I don't even want to look at you right now. Since we've only been married for a week, here is some friendly advice that I'm only going to offer once. When you've pissed me off, the wisest course of action is to just walk away, let me cool down for a few hours, then try and talk to me. Otherwise, I'm likely to say some things that I don't mean and make this even worse than it already is. Got it?"

Chuck just nodded and headed for the door.

As soon as the door closed, Sarah leaned against it with a sigh. She had learned some things about herself today. First, for their first real fight as a married couple, this one really wasn't so bad. She already felt guilty about getting so mad. Even worse, she already missed him. How pathetic was that?

But the second thing she learned was even more important. Two more minutes and the puppy dog eyes would definitely have worked. That meant she almost assuredly would be in the process of willingly getting naked right about now. That would have sent entirely the wrong message to her new husband. She was going to have to quickly find a defense for that somehow or be forever helpless with him.

Sarah banged her head against the closed door in mock frustration, her frown involuntarily turning into a smile, and then a grin as she thought about their two day honeymoon just last week.

Maybe being forever helpless with Chuck wasn't such a bad thing.

x-x-x-x-x

Casey was just getting comfortable after a very long day when his computer made that distinctive sound. Sure enough when he glanced over General Beckman was staring at him. _It's after midnight there. Doesn't she ever sleep? _"Ma'am?" he asked.

Beckman didn't say anything for a long moment. "Major, this conversation is off the record," she finally sighed.

If Casey was surprised, he didn't show it. "Yes, ma'am," he said.

"I need your honest appraisal," Beckman said. "Agent Walker… she seems to be getting very comfortable with the asset. Is she compromised?"

Casey thought for a second about how to answer. He could tell the truth and get Walker immediately reassigned. It was the right thing to do. A few weeks ago that's exactly what he would have done. Now, for some reason that even he didn't understand, that was unacceptable. But how to answer. If he said 'no' Beckman probably wouldn't buy it. So he hedged. "I don't think so, ma'am," he said. "There is no question but that she likes him… maybe she even likes him a lot. But when Graham told her about the termination order, she offered to do it. Yes, part of that was she wanted to make it humane. But she was still willing to terminate him. Walker's a professional. Nobody could get anywhere close to the production out of Bartowski that Walker can. He's clearly in love with her. He'd do almost anything she asked him. They've been amazing, more than I ever thought possible."

"You're right about that," Beckman sighed. "Your team has been incredible, more than I dared hope for. It would be hard to loose that. The war with Fulcrum is heating up. But, John, we can't have her compromised. All we need is for an uncontrollable, love crazed, loose canon, killing machine running around the streets with an Intersect in tow."

"Yes, ma'am."

"What is your assessment of Agent Miller?" Beckman asked softly. "Could she replace Agent Walker? She'd be willing to use tactics that Agent Walker refuses."

Casey couldn't keep in the laugh. "No, ma'am," he said quickly. "I'm fairly sure that would be a disaster. Chuck is afraid of Carina… with fairly good reason. She's a world class man eater. He would never trust her like he does Agent Walker. That trust is exactly why we've been so successful. In my opinion replacing Agent Walker with another agent who would attempt to control him by getting him in bed would be the worst possible approach… especially Carina Miller."

"But how to control Agent Walker," Beckman said, more to herself than Casey. "Do you have any ideas to make her want to get with the program a little? Areas where she might be sensitive that we can exploit? Could Agent Larkin talk her into it? What do you know about her father?"

Now Casey was seriously angry. She was asking him for information on what to use to force his partner to do things she considered across the line. But showing that anger to the General wouldn't do. "Well, ma'am," Casey said. "I don't think that Larkin would be of any use. Walker's a professional. Her dedication to this assignment should be enough."

Beckman was silent in thought for a long moment. "I hope that you're right," she finally said. "I'll cancel the 49b… for now. I'll need to find a way to test her. In the meantime keep a very close eye on her."

Fortunately, the screen went blank before Casey exploded. He addressed the dark screen sarcastically.

"Yes, ma'am."

x-x-x-x-x

"Wow," Chuck said as soon as she opened the door. "That is really going to be a nasty bruise. Here."

Sarah looked at the patty of raw hamburger that he was holding out to her. "I thought that was supposed to be raw steak," she said with a smile.

"Hello," Chuck said as he pointed to himself. "Remember? Loser who works in a Buy More? I get that Bryce would have brought filet mignon. I could barely afford the hamburger. But I could barely scrape together enough cash to buy another cooked one. Medium rare with…"

"Extra pickles?" Sarah finished hopefully. "I'm starved."

Chuck flashed his warmest smile. "Who do you think you're dealing with?" he asked.

Sarah didn't laugh. "Certainly not a loser," she said. "I could go a long time before I ever hear that from you again… like forever. Okay? I didn't marry a loser."

Chuck looked at her. He knew that she really wasn't kidding. "Okay," he said.

"You're wrong about Bryce," Sarah said. "As long as your sometimes cute insecurity is forcing us to talk about him… again, you should know. He wouldn't have brought filet mignon. He wouldn't have brought anything. Here is something you should think about. If you held a gun to Bryce's head and asked him how I liked my cheeseburger he wouldn't be able to tell you. How many times do I have to tell you that you have it all over Bryce before it sinks into that thick skull? I'm going to keep saying it until it does."

This time Chuck knew that she wasn't kidding at all. "Is it safe to tell you that I'm sorry about earlier?" he asked, more to change the subject. "You were absolutely right. I didn't show enough faith in you. I'm embarrassed. For the record, I'm proud of you and how hard you're trying."

Even holding a raw hamburger to her cheek, Sarah was quickly in his arms. "You don't have to be sorry," she said. "I overreacted. I'm too much of a hothead. I get that you were teasing and not trying to make me mad. Maybe it's a good time for you to spend those two questions that I owe you from our wedding night."

Chuck pulled her close. "No thanks," he said. "I'd rather wait and find out those things when you're ready to tell me. It'll mean a lot more that way. I just want to let you know that you don't have to be afraid of telling me anything, no matter how awful you think it is. As much as you might not think so, I know who you are… and I love you for it. You're a girl who I'd like to share a cheeseburger with… fifty years from now."

"Wow," Sarah said. "You have a date."

Chuck pulled her even closer. "I'll always be here for you," he said.

Sarah didn't respond, not with words anyway. She just snuggled.

Chuck gently rubbed her back until he could feel the soft sobs she was trying desperately to hide finally subside. But after a while he knew that he needed to let her off the hook. "So how exactly did she bruise you so badly?" he teased. "I thought that you were the world's biggest badass. She must weight about a hundred pounds soaking wet."

"She had a pipe," Sarah said as she continued to snuggle comfortably.

"A pipe?" Chuck asked in faux confusion. "There's no smoking on school property. She really is a bad girl."

That did the trick and got Sarah laughing. "No, dumb ass," she said as she pulled back and held her hands far apart. "A lead pipe. A big freaking lead pipe. She was swinging it at my head. No matter how badass you are, nobody has an answer for a lead pipe connecting with your temple. It gave her somewhat of an advantage for a while."

That got them both laughing. "Ah," Chuck said. "That explains it." They broke their embrace and Chuck cut the burger in half.

Chuck maybe understated his food delivery a bit. He knew that she would be starved. So there was more than one cheeseburger along with fries and shakes. One of the great things about their relationship was that there was no need to always be talking to break the uncomfortable silence. There was no uncomfortable silence. They just sat there smiling at each other while they ate.

"Can I tell you something?' Sarah finally asked after she was finished. "Her voice was so low that Chuck had to strain to hear her.

Sarah didn't wait for his answer. "When I was growing up," she said. "My parents… they really didn't get along. I don't know when it started. Neither one would talk about it. I mean they must have loved each other once, right? But at the end all they did was scream at each other. When dad finally gave up and left, it was a relief."

Chuck looked over at her. He knew that Sarah talking about this was a huge breakthrough. "That must have been hard," he said.

"It's my biggest fear," Sarah said, now her voice no more than a whisper. "You and me…"

"Come on, Sarah," Chuck said softly. "That's not going to happen to us. We're perfect for each other. We're soul mates."

In spite of the tension in the room that actually got something of a sad smile. "I know," she said. "I do know that. In my head I absolutely know that it's true. But I still fear it. Crazy, huh? It's embarrassing."

"It's not crazy at all," Chuck said. "I totally get it. It's like my fear of you leaving me for Bryce. I know it's not going to happen. I do. Yet I fear it. I agree. It's embarrassing."

"What should we do about it?"

Chuck grinned. "We're doing it," he said. "When we have that fear, we talk about it until it goes away. The good news here is why we have the fear in the first place."

"Why?"

"I'm not a psychologist," Chuck said. "But I think that's pretty easy. We're so crazy about each other, the thought of losing what we've found and going back to the way things were before is so horrible, and we are both a little paranoid of it."

It only took a second for Sarah to cross the small room and be sitting on his lap. "Thank you for protecting me," she said.

That got a smile. "Me protecting you?" Chuck asked. "I'm afraid that you have it backwards."

"And that's where you're wrong," Sarah said with a loving kiss. "I may protect you physically. But you protect me every bit as much emotionally. You're right. I can't go back to the way things were before. It's like I'm just waking up from a nightmare. Thank you."

While it was true that Chuck was in charge in the bedroom, clearly Sarah had something to say about it… as the intensity of the kissing made the question 'when' would Chuck take this to the bed… and not 'if.' And there was nothing wrong with that. After all, they had only been married for a week. Chuck scooped her up in mid kiss to make it official.

"Jenny Burton is not my real name," Sarah said as soon as he sat her on the edge of the bed. "That's a cover my dad made up. My real name is…"

"I know what your name is," Chuck interrupted. "Your real name is Sarah… Sarah Walker-Bartowski. That's all I ever want to remember. I have to pinch myself to believe that it's actually true. So you can tell me anything. Whenever you feel like you want to tell me something about your past, I'll be here for you. No matter how awful you think it is, I promise that I'll understand. If it makes it easier, we can snuggle in the dark and I'll rub your back. We'll talk as long as it takes. But maybe we can keep your real name secret. It'll be an inside joke, just between us… a symbol of my pledge that I'll never try and manipulate you again. Whenever anyone asks you your name, we'll look at each other and snicker. You'll just be Sarah… my Sarah. Agreed?"

That got a grin. She had never felt closer to him than at this exact moment. How did he always know exactly what to say? "Does this agreement include your Sarah getting naked anytime soon?" she teased. "In negotiations it's what is called a deal breaker. She's a newlywed with a short fuse."

"Absolutely," Chuck said. "In fact I'd say it's imminent."

"Good," Sarah said as she touched her lips gently to his.

"You have a deal."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: Take that Ali Adler, lol._

x-x-x-x-x


	9. Chuck vs Tom Sawyer

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_This is kind of a free episode for this concept. It really didn't deal with any wt/wt. So maybe it's a good time to delve into some things that I wished the show would have. It's a shame that Ellie was made so one dimensional. She could have been a great character. I especially like to write her possible relationship with Sarah. After all, isn't that what Sarah craved? Family? I think that her relationship with Ellie could have been every bit as important to her as her relationship with Chuck. But, like anything great, you have to earn it._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**Chuck vs Tom Sawyer**

x-x-x-x-x

"What did you wish for?" Sarah finally asked as she took a sip of her beer to keep from laughing.

"Wow," Chuck said. "You clearly don't understand the magic wish rules at all. I can't tell you that. It won't come true."

"Maybe," Sarah said. "I get that those are the normal magic wish rules. Not to get all legal here, but that was a satellite burning up, not the first evening star. So I'm thinking there may be some wiggle room in this case. Maybe you don't fully understand the wife magic fantasy wish thing. Totally different set of rules. In the wife rules, telling her about it would be a good thing. In fact it's required. After she heard about this fantasy wish, she'd do anything in her power to make sure that it came true… tonight. After she put it that way it would be unsporting of her to refuse him anything, right? So she's thinking she'd grant you one wish. Your wildest fantasy with zero consequences. Absolutely nothing off the table. She would make sure that it was magical… in her own way. That seems like the least she could do after the husband she honestly adores goes and does something heroic like save the entire world… don't you think?"

Chuck sighed. "It wasn't that kind of wish," he said sadly. "Thanks for the offer. But you can't make this one come true. I'm afraid that no one can."

Sarah's smile turned a little sad. Chuck was clearly down. Her immediate priority was to find out why and fix it. But her heart was nearly beating out of her chest with pride. Chuck was her husband. And the truth was, he didn't need a magic wish. That was just her way of making sure he knew if he ever were to ask her for something, she couldn't imagine him not getting it. But he was also the first man she had ever met to whom she could have possibly made that offer and not already be in the middle of some kinky sex fantasy. Not that she needed one, but it was today's reminder of why she loved him so desperately. "If it can't come true anyway," she said softly. "Then there's no harm in telling me. Maybe we can talk about it. I've heard that's what husbands and wives do."

Chuck stared at her for a long moment. "Okay," he finally said. "But I want to make sure that you don't take this the wrong way. None of this is your fault. I don't want you to feel badly about it." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I just wish we could be more open," he said. "The only place we can be married is inside that one room. Sarah, I want to be able to treat you like the goddess that you are. I want to shower you with surprise flowers and earrings, and romantic weekends in the mountains. I just feel like I'm cheating you." Chuck paused again. "And this next part is more than a little embarrassing. I'm married to the most beautiful woman in the world. I'd love to take you out to dinner and dancing and watch the look of envy in the other men's faces. I'm sorry. I'm not proud of that."

Sarah was wrong just a moment ago. Wow. Now her heart was beating out of her chest. She took a long moment to blink the tears out of her eyes. "Why exactly are you sorry?" she finally asked. "Do you think there is anything wrong with that? I sure don't. It's definitely going to happen someday. That's what we're fighting for. I'd love the chance to get all dressed up, go to dinner then dancing, and hang on your arm all night like the love sick girl… well that I am. Cheating me, Chuck? You think that? Really? You have me floating on a 24 x 7 cloud. I'd enjoy playing the role of your half naked arm candy more than you would. You could expect my full and enthusiastic doe eyed participation while you flouted your latest blonde conquest to the other poor bastards in attendance until their tongues hit the floor in envy. The truth is that I'd be showing you off just as much. I've bagged the sweetest guy in the world. Chuck, when are you going to start believing that?"

Chuck's smile wasn't exactly a toothy grin, but there was a definite twinkle in his eye as he nodded.

"And in that same vein," Sarah continued. "I get that you're uncomfortable appearing to treat me as an object. It's very sweet. But please stop worrying about it. I've been fully trained to be treated as an object. It'd be a shame to waste all of that expensive training and never use it once. So my 'one wish' thing is maybe a game. But the offer was completely genuine. It's still on the table. It's something that I as your wife would enjoy doing for you. I expect you, as a sign of your personal growth, to take me up on it, maybe not tonight, but soon. If for no other reason, you should do it for Casey. You know how much he hates wasting the taxpayer's dollars. Maybe someday, you'll feel led to return the favor."

Teasing him about Casey got the grin she had been looking for. "About that," Chuck said. "Have you ever…"

That got them both laughing. "No, Chuck," Sarah said. "You're most definitely the first. I've never even thought about making that offer to anyone else. It would have been a nightmare. Bryce's first wish would have been for ten additional wishes. I shudder to think about it. He'd turn me into a blonde version of Carina, have me twisted up like a pretzel, performing sex acts that a hooker had never heard of, probably starring in some private porn movie. I wouldn't be able to walk right for a week. You love to analyze things to death, right?"

Chuck had to wait to stop laughing to answer. "Yes," he said. "It's been said a time or two."

"Well here is something that I need you to hear and analyze to death," Sarah said. "You only offer something like that to someone you trust with your very soul. You need to factor that in when you fear that you're cheating me out of something. Yeah, I get that things are harder for us right now than they should be. If I could change that, you know that I would. You have to put up with things that no husband should ever have to accept. I'm afraid I don't see the end of that yet. I'm looking forward to the day where we can be open and make plans more than you are. But you have to admit, you do have some things going for you."

"You have someone who trusts you with her very soul."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck could tell that something was very wrong the instant he stepped into the room. Sarah wasn't crying. That didn't mean much. She wasn't a crier. It was her body language. He also knew that if he just waited, she would tell him.

Sure enough, he didn't have long to wait. "She hates me," Sarah sighed.

Suddenly Chuck remembered. Sarah was going to talk to Ellie today. "She doesn't hate you," he said.

Sarah shook her head firmly. "You weren't there," she said. "It was a disaster. She was pissed about… well, about everything. She was pissed that we lied to her. She was pissed that you're in danger. She was pissed about the cameras all over her apartment. But most of all, she was pissed…" Sarah paused for a long moment to gather her composure. "She doesn't think that I'm good for you."

"Come on, Sarah," Chuck said soothingly. "She didn't say that."

"She said those exact words," Sarah insisted. "I didn't realize that she didn't know about me and Bryce. I thought that she knew because of the hospital. She went through the roof. No matter what I said, she just shook her head. She said that I've been sending him mixed signals, that no one who thinks it's over sends that many flowers. She thinks that I'm going to break your heart. She said that you were too fragile to put up with my load of crap, her exact words. She said that she is going to be watching me like a hawk. She told me that she is going to be keeping me on a very short leash. The second she doesn't like what she sees, she is going to blow the whistle on me and get me reassigned."

"Sarah," Chuck said. "You don't know Ellie. She can be a little intimidating. That's her style. But she likes you. She talks about you all the time. Ellie is just really protective. Did you tell her that we're married?"

Sarah shook her head. "I was afraid to," she said. "She was so pissed. I was afraid that would push her over the edge. She wants me to take a polygraph test. We have an appointment in her office at the hospital tomorrow."

"I'll talk to her," Chuck said firmly. "You're not submitting to any insulting polygraph test. That is completely unacceptable. You're my wife. You're her sister. She is going to have to respect that. Don't worry. I'm going to make damn sure that you get a tearful apology."

Sarah paused in thought for a long moment. "Chuck," she finally said softly. "Thank you for sticking up for me. But please don't talk to her about this. Not yet anyway. If you go over there all pissed off and yell at her, she might give in. But it would strain our relationship forever."

"Give me a chance to win her over."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was standing in the Large Mart parking lot waiting. Casey wanting to meet off the record again so soon simply couldn't be good news.

Casey walked up. He certainly didn't waste any time getting to the point. "Beckman is worried about you," he said. "She scheduled a 49b. She canceled it for the time being but she is watching you. I had to talk her out of replacing you with Carina. She told me to keep an eye on you. She's going to try and figure out a way to get you to prove your loyalty. You probably know what that means."

Sarah's shoulders noticeably slumped. This was news that she just didn't need. "Thanks," she sighed. "That woman is not going to be happy until she watches me on surveillance screwing somebody."

Casey's smile certainly wasn't a toothy grin. But it was warm and genuine. "She sorta sounds like Carina," he said.

That broke the tension and got them both laughing. "Or Bryce," Sarah agreed, still laughing. "It's pretty much a constant theme with both of them."

Casey quickly got more serious. "Be careful," he said. "She isn't kidding."

"Thanks," Sarah said, honestly grateful. "Tell me something. Why are you telling me this?"

Casey stood in thought for a long moment. "She's wrong," he finally said. "She can't see the forest for the trees. Whatever you two have going, and I don't want to know, it's working. Bartowski trusts you. It's the main thing we have going for us. We've been ridiculously effective. It's the only reason Beckman can't replace you. Trust me, she's dying to. I enjoy being part of a kick ass team. It's why I signed up for this life in the first place."

"And there's no other possible reason?" she teased.

Casey wouldn't bite. "Don't make me regret this," he said as he turned to walk away. "If you do anything stupid, I will come after you."

Sarah had problems… big, big problems. She was getting pressed from both sides. She now had to prove to Ellie that she was in love with Chuck, while at the same time prove to Beckman that she wasn't. It was approaching ridiculous. But there was one good thing.

Casey was as hard core as they came. If it came in the form of an order, he would shoot his own grandmother. So for him to defy Beckman, even subtly, was huge. Oh Sarah knew there was a definite limit to that. He had just made his position abundantly clear. If she ran with their asset, he'd lead the team trying to catch them. But he also would no longer spend any time trying to figure out if she was compromised. That was huge. It meant that as long as they didn't rub his face in it, they didn't have to fear him ratting them out.

Her partner had just come through for her.

x-x-x-x-x

Ellie's office wasn't overly large. But it was impeccably furnished. One wall was covered with documented proof of her many academic accomplishments. "I didn't think you'd show up," she said. She held up a syringe. "Do you know what this is?"

Sarah looked at the yellowish fluid. "I assume it's sodium pentothal."

Ellie nodded. "You're probably trained to fake polygraphs. You're probably trained to withstand pentothal. I seriously doubt that anybody could withstand both."

Sarah just pushed her shirt sleeve over her shoulder and offered her arm. "You're right," she said. "Nobody could withstand both for any amount of time. At the very least, in a few hours you would be able to tell when they were lying. Getting them to tell you things they are trying to hide is a lot harder. If you really wanted to do this fast there are some enhanced interrogation techniques that would help. I'll get you a drug that the CIA uses. It's ten times more effective than sodium pentothal. After you inject the drug you could suspend me by my arms, strip me naked in an ice cold room, and taser me every time I refused to answer a question. If I wanted to bad enough, I could hold out for as long as anybody. But under those conditions the most hard core agent would break in a day or so, even me. If you want to do that, we have some facilities that you can use. Do what you have to do."

"I'm surprised you would submit to this," Ellie said.

"I'm not looking forward to it," Sarah admitted. "I've already been through all that once in training. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. In a real life torture scenario they kill you after they've learned what they want. Telling them what you know signs your death warrant. But once you're broken you don't care. You just want the pain to stop."

"Then why?" Ellie asked. "Sarah, I'm not stopping until I'm satisfied. I could ask you anything… intimate personal things… even classified things. You'd have no way to refuse."

Sarah looked at Ellie's face. She was clearly still pissed. There was no hint of any warmth. "Why are you surprised?" Sarah asked. "I need for you to believe me. It's important to Chuck. And I'll freely admit, I'd like that too. So I'm going to do whatever it takes to prove to you that I'm genuine. If that means submitting to whatever crap you dish up, that's what I'm going to do. Besides, I've already told you the most sensitive bit of classified information that I know anyway. I've already committed a felony that could land me in prison for twenty years. To hell with it. What's a couple more?"

"Come on, Sarah," Ellie said, clearly frustrated. "I really don't want to get that extreme. You're telling me that you're in love with him? That you're not just a professional spy protecting her mission? I'm sorry. I don't believe that."

Sarah had to pause for a long moment to gather her composure. "A year ago, you would have been exactly right," she said, her voice little more than a whisper. "I didn't believe in love. I thought it was for suckers and silly dreamers. I'd have told you anything it took to protect my mission. I would have told him anything it took. You're right to be skeptical. In a way, I'm happy. But, Ellie, the thing is; now I firmly believe in love. It's something that changes your life, changes how you look at things. And it can be awful, make you hurt worse than you ever felt possible, make you wish you'd never been born. But it can also make you feel like you're floating on a cloud. That's how I feel when I'm with Chuck. There is nothing you can do to me that would be worse than hurting him. So do whatever it takes to get you to believe me. Torture me, break me, but please don't stop until you believe me."

Ellie's smile was more skeptical than anything. "Let's take a breath," she said. "I don't want to taser you. That's barbaric. There may be a better way. Let's put some cards on the table. Sarah, if that is your name, we don't have to adversaries. I honestly like you. We have mutual objectives. You want Chuck controlled. I don't want his heart broken. Tell me the truth and I'll work with you to bring him down and make sure he does the things you need him to do. Isn't that in both of our best interests? Just be a little humane and stop playing him like this. What happens to Chuck when your assignment is over and you leave?"

"You're not hearing me," Sarah insisted. "I'm not playing him. There's no way in hell that I'm leaving. In fact, you couldn't drag me away. It's true that I'm a dedicated agent. I think that's a noble thing. You're right. Chuck does need to be controlled a little for his own safety. He knows that. I'd appreciate your help. In fact, if I was playing him, your deal would be very attractive. But if I have to choose between being a CIA Agent and Chuck, there's no decision to make. I love him."

"Come off it," Ellie snapped angrily. "Give me a break. You're trying to tell me that a beautiful kick ass super spy who drives a Porsche and travels the world in luxury drinking champagne and eating caviar is in love with a loser who works in a Buy More?"

Sarah had reached her breaking point as she saw pure red. She was personally willing to take whatever Ellie dished out. But taking a shot at Chuck. This was his sister. She was the last person… it was simply unacceptable. So she squared off on Ellie in pure rage. "Don't… you… ever… call… him… a loser… again," she growled. "Not ever. Especially not you. I've worked too hard to get him to stop thinking of himself that way. He's anything but a loser. I've lost count of how many lives he's saved, but they include both of ours. He has all of these amazing qualities that no one except me gets to see. He's the bravest man I've ever known. He's a true genius. He can make me laugh when I need it. He sees the good in people. He even sees the good in me. And he is all of those things without a drop of arrogance. Chuck Bartowski is the nicest, sweetest man in the whole world. He doesn't deserve any of this crap but he never complains. I trust him with my soul. And I'll be damned if I'm going to stand here and listen to anyone disparage this amazing man… even you. I'm going to spend the rest of my life thanking him for saving me. And if you don't believe that, you can go to hell. I'd love to be close to you. You mean everything to Chuck. The last thing I would want would be to get between you. I'd like to be part of your family. I'd like to have a sister. But I'm not…"

Sarah trailed off her rant awkwardly as she finally saw Ellie's face. It took a long time for her to realize through the fog of her rage that Ellie was standing there grinning at her.

"Okay," Ellie simply said. "You know what? You're absolutely right. He's not a loser. We may be the only two people in the world who understand that. So I think I'd like having a sister too."

It took a long moment for Sarah to calm down enough to think rationally. "Just like that?" she finally asked.

"Just like that," Ellie replied. "I love him. The fundamental truth is that you're good for him. I've always thought so. You love him. Now that I'm convinced of that, there's no reason why we shouldn't love each other too, right?"

To say that Sarah was stunned was a huge understatement. You could have knocked her over with a feather. She was even more stunned when Ellie wrapped her arms around her. "Let's go out sometime this week and look at bridesmaid dresses," Ellie said. "I'd really appreciate some sisterly input."

"Sarah was still a little numb. "I'd like that," she said.

Ellie laughed. "You can tear yourself away from him for a couple of hours?" she teased. "I'm thinking that we can even stop and have a drink. Thursday work for you?"

Suddenly all of the tension of the past day was gone, popped like a soap bubble. "Thursday would be good," Sarah said as she returned the embrace. "He would probably be okay for a couple of hours. Any longer and we may be talking explosion."

"Chuck, explode?" Ellie asked. "That doesn't seem like him."

"Actually, I was talking about me."

That got them both laughing. They were back to where they were in Vegas just a week ago. "I had so much fun when we went dancing," Ellie said. "I usually have to bribe Devon with some pretty specific physical activities that I try hard to ration to get him to take me dancing. Honestly his price is constantly going up. I know that Chuck is pretty awkward about dancing. Maybe we can work on the guys together."

"Anytime you want," Sarah said. "Dancing is my favorite thing. Well, maybe my second favorite thing."

That got them laughing even harder. "I'll bet," Ellie said. "Sweetie, I've been ridiculously hard on you for a whole day. I make no apology for that. He's the most important thing in my life. I had to be sure." Then Ellie's grin turned sly. "So that act in the back seat on the way to Vegas was real?" she asked.

It was hard to make Sarah blush. In fact it was damned hard. But that did the trick. "You saw that?" she asked. "I'm not sure what got into him. He's usually so shy about PDA. For the record, you don't need to apologize. You were right to be skeptical. I'm happy you're looking out for him. He's the most important thing in my life too."

"Saw it?" Ellie laughed. "Devon was getting ready to toss you a condom. He was sure you were getting ready to go for it right there in the back seat."

Sarah turned even redder. "We weren't that far away," she admitted. "By some definitions, we technically probably did go for it. Chuck was intentionally torturing me. He's going to pay for that someday. He knew that I was supposed to be saving myself for our wedd…"

Sarah realized a beat too late that she had just spilled the beans and trailed off awkwardly. Of course Ellie picked up on it right away. "You got married," she said. "You got married in Vegas, didn't you? I knew that there was a reason you were so giddy."

"I'm very sorry that you missed it," Sarah said quickly. "It happened before we decided to tell you. We'll do something more formal someday for you to attend. We… we wanted to commit to each other. Our lives are complicated. Who knows when we'll be able to be open? So even if we were the only two people who knew… we'd know. We're going to spend the rest of our lives fighting for each other."

If Sarah was worried that Ellie would be upset, she shouldn't have. Ellie just squeezed her even harder. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever hear," she sighed.

Sarah squeezed right back. "If I could ask for a favor," she said. "In a way, you were right about Bryce. He's one of the people who can't find out about Chuck and me. So he probably has some hope that we'll get back together someday. And I have to be very careful about what I tell him. Chuck's very sensitive to that. It's hard to fault him for that. For some reason, he feels inferior. I've worked very hard to make sure he knows that he is most definitely not inferior… not to Bryce Larkin… not to anybody. But that's honestly a work in progress. If you could… maybe help?"

"Don't worry, sweetie," Ellie said. "I've been working on his self esteem for twenty years now. I'm glad to finally have an ally. Chuck's had some bad breaks lately. This thing with the government seems like a nightmare. But he's also found you. All in all, I'd say that he's been pretty lucky. Welcome to the family, sis."

Sarah went limp into Ellie's arms in pure relief. "Thanks," she said.

"You'll never know how much that means to me."

x-x-x-x-x


	10. Chuck vs The Ex Fat Gravitron

_I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point._

_I struggled with how to handle the Jill arc. For a while, I was going to skip those three episodes. It really doesn't fit with this concept. Some things would definitely have to be explained in a way that strains credulity. But hey, I'm good at straining credulity, lol._

_It's no secret that I didn't care much for the arc in general. Not that the episodes were horrible. They weren't. It's not even the seemingly omnipresent Josh Schwartz triangle thing. Annoying, yes. But that's not really it. To me, this arc represents what was worst about this show. They would have established characters transform into something totally unrecognizable, with no explanation or setup, then transform back again, all for a single plot point, sometimes for a single scene. And this arc is certainly not the most egregious in that characteristic. There are a lot better set of examples later in the series. But this started that trend._

_The scene before the arc, Chuck is wishing on a star for Sarah (we're supposed to assume). The very last scene of the arc they're holding hands as if Chuck's wish had come true. But they still weren't together. So what was the story value of all that stuff in the middle? I submit zero. It was pure wt/wt for wt/wt's sake._

_Anyway, I'm going to take a shot at mashing the three episodes together and see what happens. We'll start where the arc ended._

_I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything._

**Chuck vs The Ex Fat Gravitron**

x-x-x-x-x

There was one thing about Sarah Walker that was fairly common knowledge. When she was angry with you, you knew it. Apparently marriage hadn't mellowed that characteristic much. Because Sarah Bartowski's nostrils were most definitely flaring in rage.

Chuck stood there for a long moment pondering his next move. She had told him just six weeks ago that the best thing to do when she was pissed was to give her some time to cool off. "I'll come back later," he said as he turned to leave.

There was another thing that marriage hadn't changed about Sarah. If she had a solid hold of your wrist and didn't want you to leave… you weren't leaving. "Don't you even think about walking out that door," she said angrily. "I want an explanation."

Chuck looked around the room warily, unsure what it was exactly that she wanted him to explain. "Umm," he said nervously. "I thought that we talked about this. That you wanted me to play Jill to show Beckman…"

"This is not about me being jealous, dumb ass," Sarah interrupted hotly. Well that maybe wasn't entirely true. Chuck was right. They did talk about this… at length. It was she that demanded that Chuck put on the multi week charade with his ex. Hopefully that would get Beckman off their backs for a while. In fact he had been brilliant, much better than she feared. Deception wasn't his strength. But covering that camera with his shirt to allow Beckman to think he and Jill Roberts were about to have sex was a nice touch. Currently though, she was far too angry to deliver any well earned praise. "You don't even know, do you?" Sarah snapped. "That makes it even worse."

Sarah allowed him to stand there with that confused look on his face for a long moment. "You are The Intersect," Sarah finally said. "Fulcrum is trying desperately to capture you. And if they do, your life is over. Do you not get that? Has it not penetrated that thick skull of yours that you have to be ultra careful? I've told you over and over that I'm not prepared to go to your funeral. Do you think I'm kidding?"

Now it was crystal clear what Sarah was talking about. So Chuck looked at his shoes for a long moment. "You're right," he said meekly. "I messed up. She tricked me and I fell for it. I felt sorry for her. I was going to let her go. I almost messed everything up. I'm really, really sorry."

Sarah felt her rage quickly draining away, much like the bath water in tub… only faster. It wasn't only that here was today's example of the sweetest guy in the world, her guy at his very best… and very worst. She was trapped… and she knew it. Until she found some defense against his puppy dog eyes, it was going to be impossible to pretend to be pissed at him. Why fight it? Try as she might, she couldn't stop the smile from tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Damn you," she said in now faux anger. "You know that I can't stay mad at you when you flash me that look. It is so unfair."

Chuck didn't answer her. He just held his arms wide in invitation… an invitation that was quickly accepted.

"If I can't threaten you," Sarah said. "Maybe I can guilt you. Chuck, I worry about you. Do you really want that?"

Chuck just held her for a long moment. "She played me for a chump," he finally said sadly. "I do get that. I'm so sorry that I'm making you worry. Maybe we can work on that somehow."

Now Sarah was really stuck. Yes, Jill Roberts had played him. And yes, he had made it far too easy. But on the other hand, she loved the fact that he was a nice guy. Did she really want him to change? "You always look for the good in people," she finally said. "It's one of the things I love most about you. I don't want you to ever change that. But maybe going forward, we can make an exception for known Fulcrum Agents. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Chuck sighed. "I think that I'm a little depressed that you're not jealous."

"Who said that I wasn't jealous?" Sarah asked incredulously. "I just said that wasn't why I was mad. We'll get to that soon enough. The truth is that I'm ridiculously jealous. You looked pretty comfortable necking with her."

Chuck wasn't exactly sure how much she was teasing and how much she was serious… and he had no desire to find out. "I was selling it," he insisted softly. "That's what you wanted, what your kissing lessons were for, right? Just like you were selling it that time with that Lon Kirk dude. Besides, you're not the only one who's jealous here. I saw you hugging Lester for like ten minutes before dinner. What's up with that?"

The fight was officially over. That finally broke the tension in the room and got them both laughing. "Eww," Sarah was finally able to get out. "For the record, Lon Kirk was before we were married. And Lester… why didn't you come and rescue me? It took Devon to pull him off. Can I expect him to grope me at Christmas as well?"

"Most definitely," Chuck said, still laughing. "Lester's harmless… creepy and disgusting maybe… but ultimately harmless. You should perhaps consider cutting him some slack. You're the only real live girl that he ever gets to hug, at least the only one where he doesn't have to pay for the privilege, and definitely the hottest. He has a massive crush on you. Maybe you could consider it your community service twice a year."

The sparkle in Sarah's eyes belied her words. "I think that I just threw up in my mouth a little," she said. "Couldn't I possibly find a little less painful way to contribute to society? I could serve food at the homeless shelter. Maybe I could pick up trash on the freeway. Ooh, I could donate a kidney to a sick homeless person. Anything has to be better than having Lester's hand on my ass."

That got Chuck's undivided attention. "He touched your ass?" he asked, all humor instantly gone. "That sonofabitch. I'm going to…"

"Chuck, I'm teasing you," Sarah quickly interrupted. "He's still breathing isn't he? If he had come close to touching my ass, that wouldn't be true."

Chuck's "okay," was far less than convincing.

"Chuck, please," Sarah softly pleaded. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to be funny. I wasn't trying to make you jealous."

"It's not that," Chuck finally admitted. "Of all the men that I reserve the right to be jealous of, Lester is not one of them. It's just that you're probably used to the men in your life being more… well, macho about things like that. That's not me."

It clearly was time for today's self esteem lesson. "And you think that's a bad thing?" she asked rhetorically. "You know that I hate talking about Bryce. But he is the only man that I've been with for more than a few weeks. So I'll use him in this example. You're absolutely right. If he had witnessed someone like Lester hugging me like that, he would have made a stupid, uncomfortable, possessive scene that would have ruined the entire evening for everybody. And when we got home, we would have had a huge fight about it. Like I can't protect myself. I've had men like Lester coming on to me since I was a teen. I surely don't need Bryce Larkin to defend me from them. You're not like that at all. You trust me enough to let me deal with it in my own way. It's one of your most attractive qualities to me. So thank you."

Chuck was clearly confused. "You're welcome?" he said with a half grin.

"Let me be very clear on something," Sarah said. "I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm about to say. I don't want you to ever try and fight anyone, for any reason really, but especially not over me. That would just be stupid. In fact if it ever happens, be prepared to have a fight with me that your puppy dog eyes won't get you out of. But at the risk of being a little hypocritical, your reaction when you thought that Lester possibly touched my ass was sexy. It turned me on a little."

"A little?" Chuck teased.

Sarah playfully slapped his chest. "You, Mr. Bartowski, are getting entirely too cocky for your own good," she giggled. "Okay, so I'm on fire. Is that what you wanted me to admit?"

"Well, Mrs. Bartowski," Chuck said. "It's a good start. But talk is cheap. You should probably do something to show me instead. Any suggestions?"

Sarah grinned. "Maybe a couple," she said. "Too bad we don't have enough time. We have to meet your sister at the hospital."

"Really?" Chuck groaned. "On Thanksgiving? We were with her pretty much all day. Your new BFF is really beginning to rub on my last nerve."

Sarah cocked her head in faux annoyance. "I'm not sure I'm prepared to have to listen to you talk about my sister in that way," she said. "She wants to talk to you without having to worry about who's listening. She is dying to tell you how proud of you she is. And in all fairness, she did get me through watching my husband on surveillance pretending to get back with his ex for two weeks. She was able to talk me out of my plan to get revenge by making you watch surveillance of me going on an undercover mission with Bryce for two weeks. I'd think you'd be grateful."

Sarah took a long moment to look at his face carefully. "Come on, Chuck," she finally said softly. "You know that I was teasing. We're both pretty possessive people. Our lives are complicated. We find ourselves in the ridiculous circumstance of constantly having to pretend to openly flirt with other people to be allowed to stay together. That's hard for both of us. Neither of us have any reason whatsoever to be jealous, yet we both are. Can't we ever get to the point where we can laugh about it? I'd die before I would ever cheat on you. And I'd kill you in a grotesquely painful way if you ever cheated on me."

That got them laughing. "You're right," Chuck finally. "It's getting pretty old, isn't it? For the record, if I ever cheated on you, I'd deserve to die in a grotesquely painful way."

"Let's go talk to Ellie."

x-x-x-x-x

General Beckman picked up the phone. "Sir Sawers," she said warmly. "Thank you for taking my call."

"Diane," Sawers scolded. "Why so formal? I thought we've settled this."

"I'm sorry, John," Beckman said. "Force of habit. I need a favor."

"Of course, Diane," Sawers said. "As much as the CIA does for us, the least we can do here at MI6 is to return the favor. What can I do for you?"

"I need to test one of my agents," Beckman said. "She's been… somewhat reluctant to accept some required techniques. That simply needs to change. Her current assignment is far too important to have someone I can't control. I'll assign her to get close to your man with a cover identity. It would be good if he pressed her a little, put on a bit of the full court press. Once the ice was broken, she'd have no further excuse. I'd do this internally, but she'd know any of my agents."

Sawers laughed. "A bit skittish, is she?" he said, still laughing. "Diane, I have the perfect man for you. He won't be available for six weeks. But he'll be guarantied to have any unsuspecting woman's panties around her ankles in the first hour. And he'll make her believe that she seduced him. Women are simply defenseless against him. It's something of his specialty. Would that work?"

"That would be perfect," Beckman said. "John, I really owe you one. What is this super stud's name?"

"Don't mention it," Sawers said. "Happy to do it."

"His name is Cole Barker."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah more or less dragged Chuck into the hotel room. "That wasn't so bad," she said. "Now was it?"

Chuck exaggerated rubbing his neck. "I don't know," he teased. "I think she might have tweaked something when she squeezed me."

That got them both laughing. "The girl has quite the grip," Sarah agreed. "But she was happy. That's all that matters."

"It feels great that she knows," Chuck said. "It felt wrong to keep lying to her. Maybe now she doesn't think of me as the loser who works in a Buy More."

"She's never thought of you as a loser," Sarah said not so gently. "Nobody who has been paying the least amount of attention thinks that."

Before Chuck could even react, Sarah was in his arms with her hands behind his head and their lips firmly pressed together. "There is still the matter of me showing you how on fire I am that we left open," Sarah said as the long, hot kiss finally broke. Then she intentionally rubbed her chest against his suggestively. "Getting the general idea?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"I know that I'm pretty clueless about such things," Chuck said between kisses as he scooped her up and carried her to the bed. "But I think in this circumstance, even I get it." Quickly they were necking and in the process of getting each other naked.

"Crap," Chuck said.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"We're out of condoms," Chuck sighed as he sat of the edge of the bed in dismay. "I forgot to buy some. This is Thanksgiving. All of the stores will be closed. I had one in my wallet but Morgan apparently decided to 'borrow' it. I'm so sorry."

"Why exactly are we still using condoms anyway?" Sarah asked. She not so gently pulled Chuck back down beside her and started kissing his neck. "There is a mathematical law involved that I don't think you are properly taking into account. The need for a condom is inversely proportional to the degree that the girl is on fire. It's historically the major factor in many conceptions. Applied to our current situation that means the need for a condom approaches zero. Besides, you do realize that I take birth control? We are married. Maybe we can stop worrying about condoms altogether for a while. Like maybe the next fifty years. Of course, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to kill Morgan in that grotesquely painful way I've perfected. There is a principle involved. As the person in charge outside of this room, I'm afraid that I still am. Sorry about that. I understand that you seem to like him."

"I love it when you talk dirty math to me in bed," Chuck said with a grin. "In fact, hearing you say 'inversely proportional' almost brought an early end to round one. Fortunately, talking about Morgan turned that around."

Sarah relaxed into the bed as Chuck began kissing his way down her chest. "So the little bearded man is good for something?" she sighed rhetorically with a huge grin. "Okay, I'll make a deal with you. If you'll use your position of being in charge in this room and go south a whole lot faster, I'm still going to hurt him. But I'll think about letting him live."

It was debatable if Chuck was doing what he doing so expertly to save Morgan. But whatever his motives, he quickly had her moaning. As was her practice lately, she grabbed two handfuls of sheet to make sure she allowed him free reign to set the pace. "Okay," she said after a few moments. "Morgan gets off with a severe scolding."

"That's as far as I can go."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: Take that, Matt Miller, lol._

_Who believes that Beckman didn't know that Cole Barker was an MI6 Agent? I don't. Sir John Sawers is the current head of MI6. _

x-x-x-x-x


End file.
